annual magazine - State Heritage Office

Transcription

HERITAGE
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issue 02 | september 2014
Celebrating our
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Newly
Registered
Heritage Places
Heritage Grants
assisting private owners
Heritage Works
building on heritage value
Western Australian
Heritage Awards
and the winners are ...
CHAIR’S MESSAGE
W
elcome to our second edition of Heritage
Matters magazine.
Heritage Matters magazine is all about
celebrating our Western Australian heritage. We take this
opportunity to showcase our Heritage Awards winners,
grant recipients and new entries to the State Register
of Heritage Places. In looking back, it has been another
huge year of heritage success stories.
As Chair of the Heritage Council, I am delighted to see
the Government’s commitment to heritage as a priority
along with the confidence it has demonstrated in the
Heritage Council and the State Heritage Office through
two significant announcements in recent months.
CONTENTS
Chair’s message
2
2014 Western Australian
Heritage Awards
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Celebrating our newly
Registered Heritage Places
25
Heritage Grants
assisting private owners
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Heritage Works
building on heritage value
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2 HERITAGE MATTERS | Chair's Message
‘Heritage places ... are
acknowledged as rare assets
which, when managed well,
make a many-fold return on
investment.”
On 1 July, the State Heritage Office became a stand-alone
Government department. Heritage Minister Albert Jacob
noted that State Heritage Office is a well-run organisation
recognised across government, industry and the community
as the shop front and ‘go-to’ agency for heritage matters.
The Government also launched the Heritage Works program,
with seed funding of $4 million over two years. Heritage
Works is a revolving fund administered by the State Heritage
Office with a dual heritage conservation and commercial
focus. The program aims to revitalise under-utilised State
or local government-owned heritage properties through
conservation and adaptive reuse, and deliver the best
possible financial returns through their transition to new
ownership. The first priority project is the convict-built
Warders’ Cottages in Fremantle.
The Old Treasury Buildings is an excellent example of private
sector investment in the revitalisation of a heritage precinct,
with Government opening the door for private sector
investment. Through long-term lease arrangements, the
developers are restoring and adapting the heritage buildings
to become a boutique hotel and retail space, with the
surrounding land accommodating a new office tower.
This willingness of the private sector to invest in places of
historic and cultural importance speaks volumes about
changing attitudes towards heritage. Heritage places are no
longer viewed as liabilities. Rather, they are acknowledged as
rare assets, which when managed well, make a many-fold
return on investment.
ABOVE | Facade of the Old Treasury Buildings.
Photographs supplied by Palassis Architects
In addition to the Heritage Works program,
in this tight economic climate, it is pleasing
to see the Government also support
private heritage owners through increased
funding to the Heritage Grants Program. In
the second year of increased funding, 24
heritage projects shared in $1.26 million in
grants, contributing to more than $10 million
in conservation works around the State.
In keeping with our aim to help owners of
heritage properties, we have now improved
the functionality of inContact, our online
directory of heritage specialists which puts
people in contact with the right business
when they need help with maintaining or
making changes to their heritage properties.
inContact will shortly be expanded to include
builders and trades.
We have also relaunched the heritage
plaques program to recognise and celebrate
places entered in the State Register. The
new plaques are individually tailored to
the place, with its name, a short history,
and its place number so people can find
out more about its significance via the
online inHerit database of heritage places.
The new plaques will play a pivotal role
in telling the stories surrounding a place,
promoting heritage tourism and encouraging
community engagement with heritage
places.
There has also been significant advancement
for a new, contemporary Heritage Act. Two
rounds of public consultation have informed
new heritage legislation which is being
drafted and a Green Bill will be available for
public comment in the near future.
On other matters, I would like to bid a fond
farewell to, and acknowledge the valuable
contribution made by, Armadale Mayor
Henry Zelones who leaves the Heritage
Council after five years. And I welcome
our new local government representative,
Fremantle Mayor Dr Brad Pettitt, whose
expertise and experience will be an asset to
the Heritage Council.
I hope you enjoy the 2014 edition of Heritage
Matters. Stay updated on all the latest
heritage news by signing up to our monthly
electronic newsletter via our website or
follow us on Twitter #StateHeritage.
Marion Fulker
Chair
Heritage Council
2014
LEFT | Heritage Minister the Hon Albert Jacob MLA
and Heritage Council Chair Marion Fulker with the
2014 Western Australian Heritage award winners.
WESTERN AUSTRALIAN
HERITAGE AWARDS
T
he Heritage Council’s Western Australian Heritage Awards were
again held in April to honour the many dedicated members in
the industry and community who play a key role in championing
heritage projects. The awards also highlight outstanding examples of how
State Registered places can be adapted for contemporary use.
Every year seems to see the awards
gain greater momentum and profile.
Held at the grand heritage-listed His Majesty’s Theatre, heritage finalists
and friends shared a wonderful evening that shone the light on 56 finalists,
resulting in 22 wins and high commendations. It was pleasing to see strong
representation from regional WA, with 12 projects and individuals honoured
across 11 categories.
The agreement with UNESCO, forged in 2012, remains strong – winners
and high commendation recipients in the conservation categories are
shortlisted for nomination to UNESCO’s Asia-Pacific Awards for Cultural
Heritage Conservation, following Heritage Council endorsement and the
agreement of project owners.
In the two years since this co-operation between the Heritage Council
and UNESCO, two Western Australian projects have received
international recognition for their achievements in conserving,
adapting and celebrating our State’s heritage.
The Sailmaker’s Shed in Broome and Northbridge’s William Street
Revitalisation Project won UNESCO’s Award of Honourable
Mention in 2013 and 2012, respectively.
This year will see five excellent Western Australian
conservation and adaptive reuse projects compete at an
international level, with the results to be determined later
in the year.
HERITAGE MATTERS | 2014 Western Australian Heritage Awards 3
JUDGES AWARD
The Judges Award is awarded to an individual or organisation
who has displayed consistent and exceptional contribution to heritage.
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TWO FEET TEAM
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ver the past few years,
the guided walking tour
company Two Feet & a
Heartbeat has made great strides
in raising heritage awareness –
and has picked up many awards
along the way.
The company won the Professor
David Dolan award in 2011 at the
WA Heritage Awards, and then the
Most Outstanding Heritage Tourism
Product for two years running.
Now the Two Feet team has also
won the prestigious 2014 Judges
Award.
Two Feet & a Heartbeat is a
privately owned company that
started in 2007 and provides
guided tours of Perth and Fremantle
throughout the year, focusing on
themes such as pre-European
settlement, the founding of the
Swan River Colony and WA’s gold
booms, as well as its Eat/Drink/
Walk Perth tour.
More recently, the company
expanded its operations to Sydney,
where it conducts tours of The
Rocks, Kings Cross and the Sydney
CBD.
Its tours focus more on introducing
walkers to the sights, sounds and
tales of a city’s culture in a fun,
relaxed way rather than the oldfashioned style of “this building was
built in …”
The tours are renowned for being
informative, well-researched and
for passing on stories that generally
aren’t found in guide books, as well
as ‘behind the scenes’ access to
numerous heritage-listed buildings.
As one relative newcomer to Perth
said, after taking a Two Feet tour:
“Perth always comes across as a
modern city but we were shown
otherwise with interesting heritage
buildings and stories.”
4 HERITAGE MATTERS | 2014 Western Australian Heritage Awards
As well as the tours, the principals
of Two Feet, Ryan Zaknich and
Ryan Mossny, actively support the
heritage tourism industry.
The pair works with Federal,
State and local tourism-related
bodies such Experience Perth,
Heritage Perth, Perth Convention
Bureau and the Fremantle Tourism
Association.
They also take part in leadership
and industry forums, as well as
lecturing at Challenger Institute
of Technology and Edith Cowan
University.
Two Feet works with many local
governments to help develop
heritage tourism services for cities
and towns such as Bunbury,
Manjimup, Vincent and Perth.
Later this year, they will be inducted
into the WA Tourism Hall of Fame
for their outstanding achievements
over the past three years.
tours focus more on introducing
walkers to the sights, sounds and
tales of a city’s culture
WALKS AWAY WITH
ANOTHER HERITAGE ACCOLADE
At the awards night, the judges
paid tribute to Two Feet’s
relentless enthusiasm and
passion in being advocates for
heritage tourism.
“Two Feet & a Heartbeat has
a sustained and proven track
record in offering a highlysuccessful heritage tourism
product which engages a broad
audience, expanding from Perth
and Fremantle to Sydney,” they
said.
As the winner of the Judges’
Award, Two Feet & a Heartbeat
will be invited to be part of
the judging panel for the
Outstanding Heritage Tourism
Product category at next year’s
Heritage Awards.
OPPOSITE PAGE | Two Feet & a Heartbeat at Brookfield Place, Perth
TOP | Two Feet & a Heartbeat in one of Perth’s laneways
ABOVE | Two Feet & a Heartbeat at the Round House, Fremantle
EXCELLENCE IN ADAPTIVE REUSE: THE GERRY GAUNTLETT AWARD
The award recognises excellence in adapting a place entered in the State Register of Heritage Places.
The project should respect significant heritage fabric and demonstrate a creative blend of old and new.
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REVITALISING THE
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OF PERTH’S CBD
Aerial view of the one40william project
Photograph supplied by CBus Property
T
he one40william project in William Street is an
outstanding example of how adapting and reusing
heritage buildings can help redefine and revitalise a
space.
While the huge project included a retail arcade and the two
commercial office towers, the heritage aspect of the project
involved the redevelopment of several disparate and derelict
late-Victorian and Inter-War commercial buildings on the State
Registered William and Wellington Street precinct.
The heritage properties include the Bairds Building, the old
Globe Hotel, Wellington building and the Mitchell Building in
William Street.
Before the project started in 2007, many of the buildings were
in poor condition from years of inadequate maintenance and
random conversion to changing retail requirements.
The Gerry Gauntlett award, named after the late chairman of the
Heritage Council, recognises excellence in adaptive reuse that
creatively blends the old with the new.
“With the Bairds Building and the Globe, you had layer upon
layer of internal fit outs, for instance, a suspended ceiling
hiding another suspended ceiling above and so on,” said
heritage architect Anne-Marie Treweeke, of Lovell Chen
Heritage Consultants.
“This layering was actually informative because when the bare
walls and the ceilings were revealed, we found a lot of the
original fabric including pressed metal was still there and the
original wall configurations of the rooms could be discerned.
“But it was a bit of an archaeological exercise.”
She said a key goal with the project was to retain and
reinstate as much of the original fabric as possible, including
verandahs.
“Our approach is you have to understand what the original
building was; you have to understand the intent of the original
architect and go back to the original bones of the building and
work from there to sympathetically integrate the new,” she said.
“Throughout, we had a lot of negotiation with the builder and
the Heritage Council to make sure we were being faithful to the
heritage agreement that had been put in place while delivering
a successful contemporary outcome.”
The adaptation of the heritage buildings provides office and
retail accommodation that meet modern requirements, as well
as safety and accessibility standards.
The main school building is a grand example of the
architecture of George Temple Poole dating from the late
1800s.
A refurbishment had been started by a previous owner,
but many of the buildings were still in a poor condition
and required extensive restoration.
The work involved up to 30 people working on the site at
once, with the majority being local tradespeople.
Guided by a conservation plan, the Reids’ vision quickly
became reality with the restored school attracting health
practitioners to rural WA.
Today, six general practitioners – a pathologist, dentist,
podiatrist, audiologist, psychologist and occupational
therapist – lease consulting rooms and work within the
main school building.
The judges said this project sets an excellent precedent
for converting disused buildings into viable commercial
premises.
They said successful adaptation of the York Primary
School into the York Wellness Centre demonstrates
how adaptive reuse of historic buildings can benefit a
community.
ABOVE | York Primary School
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The judges said the landmark conservation and adaptive reuse
project realises the full potential of the large and prominent site
in revitalising and resuscitating the heritage heart of Perth’s
central business district. It also paves the way for the eventual
reconnection of the city and Northbridge.
THIS PROJECT WILL BE SHORTLISTED
FOR NOMINATION TO THE UNESCO
ASIA-PACIFIC AWARDS FOR CULTURAL
HERITAGE CONSERVATION.
W
hen the current owners of the old York
Primary School, Matthew and Dayna Reid,
bought it in 2011 they had a vision to
transform the entire school site, including outbuildings,
into a regional health hub serving residents of York and
the wider Wheatbelt region.
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The State Heritage Office and Office of the Government
Architect are currently housed in the Bairds Building.
OLD YORK PRIMARY SCHOOL
GRADUATES INTO A REGIONAL
HEALTH CENTRE
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OUTSTANDING CONSERVATION OF A NON-RESIDENTIAL PLACE
Conservation works to a non-residential place entered in the State Register of Heritage Places.
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ROTTNEST STICKS BY ITS HERITAGE GUNS
D
uring World War II, Rottnest
Island played a key role in
plans to defend the Port of
Fremantle, an Allied base, from a
possible attack by enemy forces.
The restoration involved 11
buildings, four gun emplacements,
two sets of tunnels, searchlights,
fixed military hardware, walk trails
and interpretive signage.
In the lead-up to war, the military
had set up a series of coastal
defence facilities on the island as
part of what became known as
Rottnest Island Fortress.
The project culminated with a
parade and public open day in 2013
to celebrate the 75th anniversary of
artillery history on Rottnest Island,
an event that attracted 1,500
people, including WWII veterans.
Part of the plans included the
establishment of the Oliver Hill fort
with its two 9.2-inch guns and
Bickley Point fort with two six-inch
guns, railway buildings and tunnels.
According to the Rottnest Island
Authority, the guns were never fired
at the enemy but they serve as a
reminder of one of the direst times
in Western Australia’s history.
By mid-2000, however, the guns
and buildings were in a state
of disrepair and decay and the
Rottnest Island Authority embarked
on an ambitious $1.5 million
restoration project.
What’s now known as the Rottnest
Island WWII Defence Establishment
is the only intact example of
a coastal defence installation
remaining in Australia, and arguably
the most complete historic
system of its type in the British
Commonwealth.
At the awards night, Rottnest Island
Authority CEO Paolo Amaranti paid
tribute to island staff for their efforts,
particularly Heritage Conservation
Manager Harriet Wyatt.
“As CEOs, we do very little primarily it’s done by the team
under us,” he said.
“In this particular case, the work
done with the guns took some
time to do and we were fortunate
enough to have a ‘guardian angel’
in the guise of Harriet to champion
and deliver our heritage projects.
“Funding for this project came and
went, and came and went, but
Harriet stuck with it and ensured
that the work was done.”
Mr Amaranti said Rottnest is much
more than a holiday playground.
“Rottnest is not just about
the beaches and the fantastic
environment we have,”
he said. “Our cultural heritage is
critical to its continuing success.”
The judges said the restoration
of the defence facilities was an
outstanding conservation of a
place of national significance and
a demonstration of the Rottnest
Island Authority’s commitment to
heritage as an integrated part of
island management.
LIGHTHOUSE PROJECT
TO SHINE AS PART OF
400-YEAR ANNIVERSARY
TIMELY RESTORATION
FOR YORK’S POST OFFICE
AND CLOCK
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he ruins of the building that housed the lighthouse
keepers on Dirk Hartog Island in Shark Bay have
seen a flurry of activity in recent times.
The quarters are located at Cape Inscription, which
is where Dirk Hartog landed on the island in 1616,
becoming the first confirmed European to set foot on
Australian soil.
For the past decade, the quarters have been part of a
meticulous restoration project that will be part of the
2016 celebrations marking the 400th anniversary of
Hartog’s arrival.
The building had been abandoned for decades and only
its shell was left.
Working with the Shire of Shark Bay and other parties,
architect John Taylor undertook extensive research which
involved sourcing archival Public Works Department
specifications and investigating the details of original
materials that came from as far away as Scotland.
Restoration was carried out in line with the Burra Charter
and the initial stages, in 2005, involved fitting a new
timber roof framing, an iron roof, and then ceilings.
To protect the fragile environment, more than 16 tonnes
of building materials were delivered to Geraldton and
assembled, barged to Shark Bay, and then airlifted by
helicopter to the site.
The lighthouse keepers’ quarters are set to become a
visitor interpretation centre.
At the awards, the judges said the restoration is a good
conservation outcome in a challenging and remote site.
The judges said that the revitalised York Post Office
sets a benchmark for the conservation of important
buildings in the historic township and that it significantly
contributes to the revitalisation of the main street.
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Jenny and Rob also adapted the upstairs for shortterm holiday accommodation.
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The work included repairing and restoring the stone,
brick and timber work, the roof, the clock tower and
the clock, with funding provided under the Heritage
Council’s Heritage Grants Program.
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When the current owners, Jenny Garroun and Rob
Garton Smith, bought the post office in 2008, they
undertook an ambitious restoration involving extensive
consultation and the development of a conservation
management plan in adherence to the principles of the
Burra Charter.
ABOVE | York Post Office.
Photographer Geoff Bickford, Dessein
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On top of that, the ceiling in the clock room had
collapsed and the clock – one of the oldest public
clocks in WA – had not worked since the 1970s.
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But time had not been kind to the old building.
Stonework and brickwork were crumbling, a garden
wall was falling down in places, timberwork was rotted
and missing, and gutters needed replacing.
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Built in 1893, it is one of three Gold Rush era buildings
that were designed by renowned architect George
Temple-Poole and constructed using local stone.
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ABOVE | Exterior lighthouse keepers’
quarters. Photographer John Taylor
he York Post Office is one of the oldest
functioning post offices in Australia, and forms
a key part of the town’s civic precinct.
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Tibradden Homestead in the City of
Greater Geraldton
OUTSTANDING CONSERVATION
OF A RESIDENTIAL PLACE
Conservation works to a residential place entered
in the State Register of Heritage Places.
BASSENDEAN MANSION
REBORN AS A THRIVING B & B
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ire, vandalism and theft have all taken their toll on Earlsferry
over the years.
However, the vision and determination of owners Jane
Bowen and Martin Jaine has seen the Bassendean mansion not
only restored to its former glory but reborn as a thriving bed and
breakfast.
Earlsferry is regarded as a fine example of the grand homes built
close to the river in West Guildford during the gold boom years at
the start of the 20th century.
Earlsferry was built in 1902 as a home for the WA railways chief
John Short with later owners including acting Premier Sir Edward
Wittenoom and judge Karl Drake-Brockman, who are all regarded
as having contributed to the development of WA.
The building was later used as a facility for intellectually
handicapped children.
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At the awards, the judges praised the conservation and restoration
work undertaken by the owners, saying it had been a ‘herculean
effort’ returning the place to its earlier, grand appearance.
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Jane and Martin have spent the past five years restoring the
property according to a conservation plan and turning it into a
functional home and B&B.
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The landmark building was devastated in 1989 by a fire in the
upper floor and roof. More damage followed when thieves took
balustrades from the main staircase, a window and fire surrounds.
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hen it comes to heritage, the
City of Greater Geraldton takes
a broad approach.
For instance, every month, a group
of about 50 heritage enthusiasts gets
together to compare notes and tell stories
– their own stories - about growing up and
living in the Mid West, as part of the City’s
oral histories project.
That initiative is one of many conducted
as part of the City’s holistic strategy to
embed heritage in its operations.
The City is one of the few regional local
government authorities to adopt a
Heritage Strategy; heritage is also part
of its Strategic Community Plan; and is a
priority in its Corporate Business Plan.
OUTSTANDING HERITAGE PRACTICES BY A LOCAL GOVERNMENT
A local government that demonstrates an outstanding whole of agency approach to the commitment
and promotion of cultural heritage and/or heritage-related work, services or programs in Western Australia.
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TAKES HOLISTIC APPROACH
TO SHARING ITS HERITAGE
As well as looking after its heritage
buildings and places, the City also
publishes heritage books, focuses on
tourism and interpretive signage, and
has a youth and schools program.
“This award is truly fantastic
recognition of the work the City of
Greater Geraldton has done and of
its commitment across all facets of
heritage,” he said.
“People’s memories are deep
reservoirs of history and stories – often
on an intimate domestic level - and
it’s critical that we capture and share
those with future generations.”
The City’s heritage initiatives include
the recently released Mining in the Mid
West booklet, one of 12 published
in the Mid West Heritage series; the
Ellendale Pool interpretive signage
project outlining Aboriginal and
European history; and the Geraldton
Heritage Awards launched in 2012.
“Our council has a proactive
approach, and set in motion many
strategies to recognise, preserve and
enhance the rich history, not only of
our city, but of the Mid West region.”
The judges praised the City of
Greater Geraldton for its wide-ranging
approach to heritage.
At the WA Heritage Awards,
Geraldton’s Deputy Mayor Neil
McIlwaine was delighted that the
City’s efforts had been acknowledged
at State level.
He also paid tribute the City’s Libraries
and Heritage staff who are the driving
force behind many initiatives such as
the I Remember When project that
allows residents to submit stories and
photographs.
“The City demonstrates a sustained
effort to incorporate heritage
conservation and planning into
an excellent framework which is
integrated into its business plan.
The City’s Heritage Strategy is
also effective in guiding its heritage
priorities and programs.”
OUTSTANDING HERITAGE PRACTICES BY A LOCAL GOVERNMENT CONTINUED
Council House, Perth
PERTH’S INCENTIVE PROGRAM SETS
BENCHMARK FOR OTHER CITIES
At the awards, the judges said that
the City of Perth has established an
effective framework that could be
emulated by other local government
authorities.
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The incentives include rates
concessions, heritage grants
and bonus plot ratios that allow
owners extra development area
within a plot in return for meeting
conservation aims.
In other measures, the City has
incorporated three conservation
areas into its City Planning Scheme
– King St, Barrack St and William
St west.
The City supports Heritage Perth
and a History Centre which
operates out of the City’s library.
It also supports events such as
Heritage Perth Days, interpretation
through signage, iCity tours, and
various heritage-related exhibitions.
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The City adopted its Heritage
Program in 2003, providing $1 million
annually in direct and indirect
assistance to property owners.
The council’s latest innovation is
the development of its Heritage,
Culture and Arts Portal which
links all of the city’s heritage and
property information and provides
an interactive map service that
enables people to research their
own property.
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he City of Perth has adopted
what is believed to be one of
the most extensive heritage
incentive programs operating in
Western Australia, or indeed, in
capital cities across Australia.
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HERITAGE KUDOS
FOR GOLDFIELDS SHIRE
T
he ramshackle collection of
rusty corrugated iron and
timber miners’ cottages
at Gwalia are part of the Shire of
Leonora’s unique heritage.
The cottages, part of the ‘living
ghost town’ of Gwalia, are rare
examples of shacks that housed
miners working at the Sons of
Gwalia gold mine that operated
between 1898 and 1963.
The Gwalia township consists of 40
buildings and relocated squatters’
shacks that attract tourists
from around WA, interstate and
overseas.
The Shire of Leonora is proud of
its past and promotes itself as
the historical heartland of the WA
Goldfields.
The Gwalia ghost town and the
museum group of buildings are
included in the State Register of
Heritage Places.
The management of the historic
township is guided by a recently
completed master plan, a series
of 12 heritage impact studies, a
Conservation Management Plan,
the Shire of Leonora’s Municipal
Heritage Inventory and its Town
Planning Scheme.
At the awards night, the judges
praised the Shire of Leonora,
saying they were impressed by
its dedication and the fact it is
achieving impressive results by
taking a holistic and proactive
approach, while working with
limited resources.
ABOVE, FROM LEFT | Patroni’s Guest House, the Pink House,
and De Rubies Camp after the restoration. Gwalia
MAIN IMAGE | Gwalia Townsite. Photograph by Code Lime Photography
OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTION TO HERITAGE BY A PUBLIC OR PRIVATE ORGANISATION
A public or private organisation whose contribution demonstrates an outstanding commitment to the conservation
and promotion of cultural heritage and/or heritage-related work, services or programs in Western Australia.
ROTTNEST WEAVES ITS CULTURAL
HERITAGE INTO ABORIGINAL WORKSHOPS
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ottnest Island, known as
Wadjemup, has strong spiritual
connections to the Whadjuk
people as custodians of the land.
That heritage was highlighted in 2013
when the Rottnest Island Authority
organised a series of weaving
workshops on the island aimed at
reclaiming culture and reconciliation.
The four workshops were facilitated
by Noongar artist Sharyn Egan, who
was engaged due to her extensive
knowledge of harvesting and weaving
with traditional fibres.
More than 90 people took part in the
workshops, where women swapped
traditional stories and weaved objects
such as baskets and ornamental
items.
The workshops also led to other
projects such as the Wadjemup
Weaving exhibition at the Salt Store
gallery and the island’s museum
which featured art works donated by
15 women.
The island and its values are managed
by the Rottnest Island Authority which
has developed a Reconciliation Action
Plan to conserve and develop the
island’s Aboriginal heritage.
The Authority also has a dedicated
Cultural Heritage Unit with four
full-time staff and an annual budget
of $250,000 a year for heritage
programs.
The judges said: “The Rottnest
Island Authority’s programs reflect
a strong commitment to cultural
heritage. A passionate team drives
its activities and workshops to create
good community engagement, with
a strong emphasis on Aboriginal
heritage.”
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RIGHT | Weaving workshop
Photographer Marissa Verma
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OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTION TO HERITAGE BY A COMMUNITY-BASED ORGANISATION
A community-based or non-profit organisation whose contribution demonstrates an outstanding commitment to the
conservation and promotion of cultural heritage and/or heritage-related work, services or programs in Western Australia.
ART DECO DEVOTEES
In effect, its members argued that
“if all the 50-year-old buildings were
demolished, how would they ever
become 100-year-old heritage
places?”
As a result, the society’s members
have campaigned vigorously for
more than 25 years to preserve and
restore WA’s Art Deco buildings
with the geometric and streamlined
designs featured in many homes,
public buildings and cinemas.
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However, the Art Deco Society of
WA challenged that thinking.
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ot so long ago, some
people believed that unless
a place was more than 100
years old, it was not considered as
having heritage value.
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The society was one of the first
of its kind in Australia and now
has international standing. It
is a founding member of the
International Coalition of Art Deco
Societies and it hosted the Second
World Congress in Perth last year.
awareness of the Art Deco period
and style, and has sustained its
advocacy for more than 25 years.”
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BELOW | Members of the Art Deco Society WA.
Photograph supplied by Community Newspaper Group
At the awards night, the society’s
President Vyonne Geneve accepted
the high commendation and
dedicated it to the memory of
the society’s longest standing
committee member, the late Dr
Rosalind Lawe Davies.
The judges paid tribute to the Art
Deco Society of WA’s efforts, saying:
“The Art Deco Society of WA is
an organisation that has worked
tirelessly to heighten public
REJUVENATED RESIDENCY MUSEUM A
CORNERSTONE OF YORK’S HERITAGE
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LEFT | Residency Museum, York
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HERITAGE MATTERS | 2014 Western Australian Heritage Awards A
“This group successfully engages
with, and is keenly supported by
its local community including the
Aboriginal community. It is a role
model for regional museums in
returning social benefits to the
town.”
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The museum is based in the last
remaining part of York’s Convict
Depot, an 1850s building that was
the superintendent’s quarters. The
building later became the official
home of York’s Resident Magistrate.
“The York Residency Museum is
an organisation which is polished,
professional and achieves good
outcomes,” the judges said at the
WA Heritage Awards.
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It manages to interweave many
strands of local history – such as
displays featuring Aboriginal stories,
convict days and Chinese market
gardens – with curatorial best
practice, education and overall fun.
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The museum is regarded as one of
WA’s leading country museums and
is frequently cited as an example
of what a small rural museum can
achieve.
The museum was established in
1972 following a campaign by the
York Society to save the historic
house from demolition and it is now
managed by the Shire of York, and
run by a professional curator and 14
volunteers.
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But now they have two added
reasons to be proud: the museum
has been rejuvenated and renovated
over the past few years and it was
highly commended at the WA
Heritage Awards for its work in
creating exhibitions that are relevant
to its own community’s heritage.
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esidents of York have always
been proud of the town’s
Residency Museum as a
cornerstone of their community
and one of the State’s leading
country museums.
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OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTION TO HERITAGE BY
A PROFESSIONAL IN THE HERITAGE INDUSTRY
An individual who has made a significant and ongoing contribution to heritage and has
demonstrated best practice standards through their employment in the heritage industry.
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PUTTING THE
BACK INTO HI
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elling great stories about our
rich cultural heritage and
bringing the past alive is
Richard Offen’s specialty.
Black Swan Heritage Art Prize; and
collaborates with the Newspapers
in Education section of The West
Australian.
Or as he put it at the WA Heritage
Awards night: “Heritage and history
doesn’t have to be dry as dust and
dull as ditchwater! It can be exciting
and it can be fun.”
When accepting his award,
Richard thanked his Heritage Perth
colleagues, but also acknowledged
the venue, His Majesty’s Theatre,
the oldest operating Edwardian
theatre in Australia.
Richard is a passionate storyteller
and is renowned for putting the
‘story’ back into ‘history’.
As executive director of Heritage
Perth, Richard often takes to the
airwaves and newspapers to tell
the hidden and almost forgotten
stories that form “the wondrous,
and occasionally offbeat, history of
Western Australia”.
Under Richard’s steerage, Heritage
Perth has had a huge impact on
the way people perceive the City’s
buildings and cultural heritage.
This has been achieved through
initiatives such as Perth Heritage
Days, the High-Tech Heritage Trail
and presenting more than 80 public
talks last year.
With the Perth Heritage Days held
over the past five years, Richard
has helped the event grow to
attract more than 50,000 people
a year, who all flock to rediscover
and explore WA buildings, parks,
theatres and museums.
He is also adept at spreading the
heritage message in different ways
to different audiences. He works
with schools to create curriculum
resources promoting heritage and
cultural identity; partners with the
“This is a great honour, particularly
as it’s taking place in one of my
favourite heritage places in the city,”
he said.
“(My) particular thanks to Noel
Robertson, the principal heritage
officer at the City of Perth whose
idea Heritage Perth was in the first
place, and it was his drive that
brought it into existence.”
The judges paid tribute to Richard
for his championing of heritage
issues.
“Richard is a dedicated and
passionate advocate for Perth’s
heritage who has made a significant
contribution to promoting heritage
and making it accessible to the
broader community,” they said.
The chairman of Heritage Perth,
Evan Campbell, also acknowledged
Richard’s drive and dedication,
saying he had made a huge impact
on the way people now appreciate
Perth’s heritage places.
“His undeniable passion,
enthusiasm and commitment have
seen the success of many key
heritage initiatives,” Mr Campbell
said.
LEFT | Richard Offen in front of the Treasury Building, Perth
OUTSTANDING VOLUNTARY CONTRIBUTION TO HERITAGE BY AN INDIVIDUAL
A person who has made a significant and ongoing voluntary contribution to the conservation,
promotion and/or understanding of cultural heritage in the community.
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Oakabella
A Mid West
S T homestead,
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LORETTA SETS HERITAGE
BENCHMARK WITH OAKABELL A
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anadian-born Loretta Wright
travelled half way around the
world to find her true passion
in life – Oakabella Homestead and
the heritage of Western Australia’s
Mid West.
Loretta is the manager of the
Oakabella Heritage Precinct, some
30km north of Geraldton, which
features a homestead, barn, tea
rooms, shearing shed, stables and
blacksmith’s shop. Built in the 1850s,
it has been owned by the Jackson
family since 1910.
In 1995, Loretta visited Oakabella
and volunteered her services on a
full-time basis for two years to restore
the homestead so it could be opened
to the public, renovating the 13-room
building, one room at a time.
Her efforts included physical
renovations such as lifting floorboards
and removing excess dirt from under
them, rendering and painting walls,
stripping and renovating furniture, and
decorating each room in period style.
Along the way, she unearthed many
treasured artefacts from the past two
centuries.
Nearly 20 years on, Loretta’s heritage
efforts have contributed to Oakabella
being regarded as an unofficial
standard to which owners of other
historic places aspire.
“I’ve been at Oakabella for 19 years
and it’s a wonderful achievement.
When you have an inspiring vision, it’s
always good to see it take shape like
this.”
On top of that, she is an unstinting
ambassador not only for Oakabella
but also the wider heritage of the Mid
West region.
She also thanked the Heritage Council
for helping her achieve her vision.
Oakabella is listed in the State
Register of Heritage Places and all
ongoing work is done according to a
Heritage Conservation Plan.
With much of the restoration complete,
Loretta now focuses on promoting
Oakabella to visitors from around the
world.
Apart from the charm of the restored
heritage buildings and their extensive
collection of artefacts, Oakabella has
another attraction: it’s believed by
some to be the most haunted house
in WA, making it popular with heritage
tourists who are looking for something
a little bit out of the ordinary.
When announced as the winning
individual who had made the most
outstanding voluntary contribution
to heritage at this year’s Heritage
Awards, Loretta said, “I really wasn’t
expecting this – I am just delighted.”
“Not just with financial support, but
also with valuable technical advice
and support,” she said. “And they’re
only a telephone call away!”
This is the second time Loretta’s
work has been recognised at the WA
Heritage Awards. In 2009, Loretta’s
ongoing contribution to preserving
and promoting the heritage of the
Mid West was acknowledged, as was
her active participation in a range of
community heritage groups.
The judges at the WA Heritage
Awards praised Loretta for her
unwavering passion and commitment.
“Loretta has been recognised for her
unbridled enthusiasm, long-standing
dedication and knowledge in the
conservation and interpretation of
the Oakabella Heritage Precinct, and
for making a unique contribution to
the promotion of heritage in Western
Australia,” they said.
OUTSTANDING INTERPRETATION PROJECT THAT ENHANCES A PLACE
The project should aid the visitor to develop a strong sense of understanding and appreciation of the heritage experience.
The project must relate to a State Registered place/s and the work must have been implemented in the past three years.
3D TECHNOLOGY HELPS FREO’S
SUBMARINE STORIES SURFACE AGAIN
V
isitors to Fremantle Arts
Centre can now use 3D
technology to go back in
time and experience the stories
of when the site was used as a
US Navy submarine depot during
World War II.
It’s all due to an ingenious
augmented reality application that
has been developed for use with an
iPad.
With funding from ScreenWest
and Lotterywest, Fremantle Arts
Centre (FAC) staff worked with the
augmented reality firm Frame AR
and wartime historian Madison
Lloyd Jones to develop the FAC
WWII Time Window app.
At the awards, the centre’s director
Jim Cathcart touched on the
issues facing organisations based
in heritage buildings such as FAC,
which runs a diverse program of
exhibitions, art courses, live music
and events.
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ABOVE | 3D iPad App in action.
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“I think Fremantle Arts Centre
typifies one of the challenges for
heritage,” he said.
They said the use of new
technology provides a window into
physical spaces and voices from
the past, and that it creates an
engaging, interactive experience for
a broad range of visitors, especially
younger people.
HE
At various points around the building,
the visitors can now point their tablet
at signs to activate the app and bring
to life the local characters, US sailors
and their experiences.
The judges were impressed with the
innovative project that brings to life
the site’s history.
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But with wartime secrecy
surrounding such operations, many
stories have been lost through the
years.
FAC is hoping to use the
technology to tell other historical
stories in relation to the convictbuilt building’s original uses as a
lunatic asylum, and later as an old
women’s home.
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During WWII, Fremantle was the
largest submarine base in the
southern hemisphere. According
to the Fremantle Port Authority, the
port accommodated more than 170
United States, British and Dutch
submarines throughout the war.
“We try to run a contemporary arts
program in a well-loved heritage
building, and try to maintain the
contemporary vitality and also
respect and tell the heritage story.
So this award is very gratifying.”
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Visitors to the centre can either
borrow an iPad at reception or bring
their own device and download
the app free from iTunes, and then
navigate their way through the selfguided tour of the building.
The app was developed and refined
over 18 months, with the stories
and dramatised reconstructions
meticulously scripted and staged
to create a seemingly realistic
experience.
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The app incorporates 3D videos,
dramatisations, voiceovers and
historic newsreel vision.
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LYNTON’S LABOUR DEPOT
OFFERS INSIGHT INTO
CONVICT PAST
LIFE PARALLELS
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he Lynton Convict Hiring Depot, built between
1853-56, is believed to be the only intact
convict hiring station remaining in Australia.
The depot, at Port Gregory 500km north of Perth, was
built to supply ticket-of-leave labourers for the Geraldton
lead mine.
The depot consists of several buildings constructed
of local limestone including a lock-up, depot and
commissariat, and is the best-known example of how
convict depots were constructed and organised.
But the depot was barely built when it was closed in
December 1856 due to the harsh living conditions
involving crop failures and diseases such as scurvy, along
with the transport problems due to its remote location.
Despite its chequered past, the site has been
enthusiastically embraced by the local community.
Locals have celebrated Australia Day at Lynton for
the past 20 years and the Northampton Historical
Society has been the driving force in drawing up a site
interpretation plan.
The works included the installation of signage, metal
plinths and display panels, along with banners telling the
stories of the buildings’ restoration and original residents.
The project was undertaken with funding from
the Heritage Council, Lotterywest, the Mid West
Development Commission, the National Trust and the
Australian Heritage Commission.
Working with the jail’s curatorial staff, Christopher’s
Five exhibition depicted the prison as a place where
normal routines took place, with people eating,
sleeping and working.
Taking a different approach from the tours that
include the gallows, he focused on the day-to-day
routines of prisoners. Five exhibition featured 12
photos and an eclectic collection of prison objects
such as comic books, shaving equipment, bottles
and forks.
The photographer’s focus was very much on the
similarities between the everyday life of inmates and
people on the outside – in effect, depicting the jail as
a microcosm of the outside world.
The exhibition ran for 10 months at the prison.
ABOVE | Five exhibition at Fremantle Prison
Photographer Christopher Young
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ABOVE | Lynton Convict Hiring Depot, Northampton
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Christopher was given access to the World Heritage
listed building in 2010-11 and through his lens the
jail became a place of brightly-coloured paint, open
doorways, and hand-painted signs.
The judges said that Five exhibition was a sensitive
and beautifully presented exhibition, and that it set
the benchmark for permanent exhibitions looking to
offer a meaningful interpretation of heritage sites.
The judges saw this as a significant heritage project,
well executed by a small community. The convict story
is central to Australia’s heritage and part of that story is
thoughtfully captured in this interpretation project.
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sing photography and objects,
photographer Christopher Young has given
visitors an alternative view of life at the old
Fremantle Prison, challenging people to re-think
what life behind bars involved.
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OUTSTANDING HERITAGE TOURISM PRODUCT
The product may be a walking tour, historic trail, festival, event, bed & breakfast, hotel, accommodation, cruise, performance
or any project or business that provides visitors with access and/or interpretation of a heritage place.
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Mrs Tregurtha, Kulin Post Office, Kulin By Night
Photographer Stephen Heath Photography
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HERITAGE AND HORSE RACING
Ku
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he tiny Eastern Wheatbelt town
of Kulin, some 300km from
Perth, is renowned for its Kulin
Bush Races weekend in October
which attracts more than 4,000 local,
interstate and international visitors.
Building on the popularity of that event,
the local community devised two
interpretive theatre events to help tell
the town’s stories.
Using professional actors, guides,
volunteers and props, the stories of local
characters and heritage buildings along
Kulin’s main street were revealed via wellresearched and rehearsed vignettes.
Kulin Open Doors allowed people to
wander the streets of Kulin and meet
some of the characters (actors) who
were able to relate the town’s stories.
As part of the event, seven heritage
buildings were open to visitors and
volunteers gave visitors first-hand
accounts of their own experiences and
memories of the town.
The volunteers – many who had lived in
Kulin all their lives – encouraged visitors
to come into the buildings and take a
peek at who and what was inside.
The other event, Kulin by Night, was
a fully scripted, sell-out performance
with actors and audience taking part in
a roving, torch-lit procession through
Kulin’s streets at night, followed by
supper at the historic Kulin Hotel.
The guests had the opportunity to meet
and mingle with the actors and project
staff following the show, making an
enjoyable experience more memorable.
As one Perth-based tourist summed
up: “Kulin by Night gave me a real
connection to what life was like in the
era of my own grandparents and family
members who talked of similar stories
growing up and living in Wheatbelt
towns in WA.”
Both productions were a collaboration
involving the Kulin Bush Races, the
Shire of Kulin and Scooplight Theatre.
The productions were developed and
launched as part of the 2013 Kulin
Bush Races festivities, and had been
partly inspired by Scooplight’s similar
roving performances at Rottnest Island.
The award judges said Kulin Open
Doors and Kulin by Night were unique
regional heritage tourism attractions
that provided an additional visitor
experience to the Kulin Bush Races
weekend.
They said they were captivated by the
innovative, collaborative, communitybased approach to presenting its local
history through theatrical performance.
“The projects created an appreciation
of the events, characters and buildings
that shaped the Kulin community, while
fostering a greater understanding of the
town’s cultural heritage,” they said.
ALBANY’S WHALING STATION MAKES
A BIG SPLASH WITH VISITORS
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ABOVE | Visitors at the Discovery Bay Historic
Whaling Station, Albany
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The Discovery Bay Historic Whaling
Station is the only whaling station that
is restored and open to the public
in Australia. It is entered in the State
Register of Heritage Places.
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HERITAGE MATTERS | 2014 Western Australian Heritage Awards R
Visitors to the restored whaling station
have the opportunity of an authentic,
They also have the opportunity to see
the Giants of the Sea exhibition which
features the 22-metre skeleton of a
pygmy blue whale.
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The Discovery Bay Historic Whaling
Station (formerly Whale World) is
managed by Jaycees Community
Foundation, which in 2005, won the
WA Heritage Award for outstanding
contribution to heritage by an
organisation. Today, this attraction
draws more than 40,000 visitors a year.
They can aim the harpoon onboard the
Cheynes IV whale chasing vessel, see
the massive winches that pulled the
whales ashore, walk the flensing decks
where the blubber was sliced into strips,
and view the tanks where the whale oil
was stored.
The award judges said that Discovery
Bay’s Historic Whaling Station is a
strong and sustainable regional tourism
operation delivering an authentic
experience that allows visitors to absorb
the site’s history and consider it in the
context of contemporary values.
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More than 35 years later, the site is
thriving – as a tourist attraction that
has become a ‘must see’ experience
for people visiting the Great Southern
region of WA.
hands-on experience of what was
involved in the whaling industry.
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hen operations ceased at
Albany’s whaling station in
1978, the Cheynes Beach
Whaling Company put down tools,
locked the gates and left.
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THE PROFESSOR DAVID DOLAN AWARD
The award recognises new organisations, businesses or individuals who have made an outstanding or
innovative contribution to conservation, promotion and understanding of cultural heritage in the community.
Weerianna Street Media
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hen Peter Creek bought
the former Sun City Guest
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Geraldton in 2000, the building was in
a sorry state.
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The century-old building was really
two buildings joined together, with two
ground-floor shops fronting Marine
Terrace and upstairs used as a guest
house.
SUN CITY GUEST HOUSE
Since then, an extensive restoration
of the property has transformed it into
a hub for social innovation and small
businesses in the Mid West.
The building – now called Swansea
House – is today a collaborative
working space designed and run
by the local social enterprise group
Pollinators. Called CityHive, the
meeting and working spaces enable
collaboration between businesses,
community groups and government.
The ground-floor shops are again
occupied by two local businesses.
Approximately 23 organisations
regularly use the building and more
than 1,000 people have attended
events and meetings there since its
restoration was completed in late
2013.
The judges said the Sun City Guest
House restoration successfully rescued
an important heritage place from the
DAMPIER’S
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Dreamti GO DIGITAL
yson Mowarin is an
Aboriginal musician and
storyteller who uses 21st
century technology to tell stories of
Aboriginal heritage and culture that
are thousands of years old.
For instance, WiFi units installed at
eight locations in Roebourne Shire
provide heritage information on
the Burrup Peninsula rock art and
profiles of the Murujuga National
Park Aboriginal Rangers.
His various multi-media projects
aim to protect Murujuga (Burrup
Peninsula) rock art, share
community stories, and improve
awareness of Aboriginal traditions
and custodial ownership.
The Digital Dreamtime Project
includes the iCampfire.tv website,
which broadcasts stories of
Aboriginal people and culture to a
worldwide audience.
Tyson, a Ngarluma man from the
Pilbara, established Weerianna
Street Media in 2007 to produce
factual content for television
broadcast and community archives.
His vision is to share Aboriginal
culture with everyone and make
people aware that Aboriginal people
have always been here.
Tyson has also created the Ngurrara
Interactive Storybook app for iPads,
which tells of the adventures of
three young Aboriginal men on the
Murujuga. This story is interactive
and users can create and share
their own petroglyph (rock
engraving) using a rock carving
function. The storybook app also
helps viewers learn the Ngarluma
language.
His Digital Dreamtime Project, now
in its third year, is a web-based
multi-platform living archive for
Aboriginal knowledge about the
Dampier Archipelago.
Earlier this year, the app won jury
selection at the Manga division of
the Tokyo Media Arts Festival and is
available free on iTunes.
The project features innovative use
of mobile technologies such as
Bluetooth and wireless technology.
At the WA Heritage Awards night,
Sharon Reynolds, of the Woodside
Rock Art Foundation, paid tribute to
Tyson and his creativity.
“His passion for fusing technology
with cultural and heritage
preservation is to be commended,”
she said.
“We’re excited about the incredibly
innovative work that he and his
team have developed in the
Roebourne community, and on
Murujuga country more broadly.”
The judges also praised Tyson’s
work, saying that Weerianna Street
Media has successfully drawn on
digital technology and new media
to share stories of Aboriginal
people, their culture and history to a
worldwide audience.
They pointed out that Weerianna
Street Media’s work on many digital
platforms provides an invaluable
living archive for Aboriginal
knowledge about the Dampier
Archipelago.
brink of ruin and rejuvenated it into
one that incorporated two cafes and
a community and corporate meeting
space.
They said the project has also
contributed to the revitalisation of
Marine Terrace, an important part of
Geraldton’s early history.
RIGHT | Sun City Guest House, Marine
Terrace, Geraldton
ng
NetworATkiTHE
2014 WESTERN AUSTRALIAN HERITAGE AWARDS
Tony Johnston, Louise Richards, Deane Diprose,
Phil, Lucy and Denise Harcourt
Judy Gauntlett and former Heritage Councillor
and City of Armadale Mayor, Henry Zelones
Kulin Bush Races Kathryn Wilson and Mary Luccesi
Julie Hobbs, Heritage Councillor Phillip Griffiths
and Christine Lewis
e
ity Resourc
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Margaret R
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Centre’s Sa
Art Deco Society of WA members Vyonne
Geneve, Ronald Facius and Massimo Perotti
b
Albert Jaco
ister the Hon
Heritage Min
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York Residency Museum’s Cathy Clarke, Samantha Good,
Carol Littlefair and Betty Kane
BACKGROUND | His Majesty’s Theatre.
Photographer Robert Garvey
Social Photographer Darren Smith,
Acorn Photography
Finalist in th
e ‘Contribu
tion by a Pr
category, G
ofessional’
uy Weguelin
Metropolitan
From
Dublinto Midland
A key teaching order, recognised for their quality of
teaching, thoroughness, good order and refinement.
S
t Brigid’s Catholic Church
Group is a significant Midland
landmark and includes two
churches, the two-storey convent,
and a school.
One of the first things a visitor will see
upon approaching St Brigid’s Convent
of Mercy are the prominent words AVE
MARIA above the main entrance, just
below a statue of Mary herself.
The visitor would have to look a little
closer to notice the moulded panels
above the door. One is a Celtic cross,
the other a harp, both entwined with
shamrocks. Once inside, looking up at
the pressed tin ceilings, there is Celtic
knotwork and yet more shamrocks.
The motifs were designed by architect
Thomas Cunningham, for the new
Sisters of Mercy convent which
opened in1906.
The Sisters of Mercy arrived in the
colony from Ireland in 1846 and
quickly became a key teaching order,
recognised for their quality of teaching,
thoroughness, good order and
refinement.
Prior to the arrival of the Sisters, and
the introduction of Catholic education
to the State, the education provided by
the colonial government was sporadic
and often lacked teachers and facilities.
St Brigid’s Catholic Church Group in
Midland is indicative of the expansion
of the Sisters of Mercy during the
mid-19th century and into the early
20th century, when they established a
number of branch houses at significant
population centres.
The inclusion of this place in the State
Register helps tell the story of the
order’s expansion throughout the State
and the important role the Sisters
played in educating young Western
Australians.
St Brigid’s Catholic Church Group
remains important to the community
as a place of Catholic worship and
education, which has functioned
continuously in this role since 1902.
It is one of the longest operating
Sisters of Mercy institutions in Western
Australia, after Mercedes College
and the State Registered Catherine
McAuley Centre.
The Sisters of Mercy withdrew from
St Brigid’s in 1973 and the school
relocated to Middle Swan in 1991.
The 1967 modern church continues to
function as a place of worship with the
parish using the original church and
school as a hall, offices and presbytery.
CELEBRATING
OUR NEWLY
REGISTERED
HERITAGE
PLACES
ST BRIGID’S CATHOLIC CHURCH GROUP
INTERIM REGISTRATION |
30 July 2013
25 October 2013
PERMANENT REGISTRATION |
25
Metropolitan
Lifting a glass to
WA’s first winery
While there is conjecture over who planted the colony’s first grape vines,
it was Thomas Waters’ vines that thrived.
A
n 1830s cellar recognising the site of the first
successful wine production in Western Australia has
been added to the State Register of Heritage Places.
Olive Farm was established in South Guildford in 1829 by
Thomas Waters, one of the Swan River Colony’s earliest settlers.
Olive Farm Cellar is not only connected to our colonial history,
but also the evolution of modern-day wine production in the
Swan Valley.
Thomas Waters, an English botanist and businessman, arrived
in the Colony in 1829 and established the first market garden.
While there is conjecture over who planted the colony’s first
grape vines, it was Thomas Waters’ vines that thrived. Within
three years of establishing his vineyard and market garden,
Waters was producing an impressive quantity of wine. Initially,
he was simply using the wine to barter with local shopkeepers,
but by 1832, he was selling the wine by the gallon, marking the
first successful wine production in the State.
ABOVE AND INSET | Olive Farm Cellar, South Guildford
OLIVE FARM CELLAR
7 May 2014
26 HERITAGE MATTERS | New Registrations
The stone and render-lined cellars are the only surviving
element from Waters’ farm.
Olive Farm is also associated with three generations of the
Yurisich family who owned and operated the place as a
successful winery for more than 70 years.
Shenton Park Rehabilitation Hospital driveway
to main entrance
Metropolitan
Isolation to rehabilitation
T
he Shenton Park Rehabilitation
Hospital site has had a major role
in the provision of health services
for more than 120 years.
Not only was it the location of Perth’s
first purpose-built hospital for the
treatment of infectious diseases but it
also housed Australia’s first paraplegic
unit.
Provisions against infectious diseases
had existed at Royal Perth Hospital
since 1885, when a smallpox outbreak
prompted the creation of an isolation
ward at the Murray Street site.
Yugoslavia-born Ivan Yurisich
bought Olive Farm Cellars in 1933.
With his inherited winemaking
skills, he produced his first vintage.
Ivan’s first wines were fortified, and
sent out to the Goldfields in small
oak casks.
The Yurisich family made a
significant contribution to the
wine industry in the Swan Valley
by introducing new winemaking
techniques in the 1960s and, by
the 1970s, were producing 70,000
litres of wine a year.
The Yurisich family has since
sold the winery but still operate
Olive Farm Wines from nearby
Millendon.
The new owners of Olive Farm
plan to incorporate the cellars into
a new residential development.
However, the Western Australian gold
boom of the 1880s and 1890s brought
about unprecedented population
growth, and the ensuing over-crowding,
poor living conditions and lack of basic
facilities resulted in an overwhelming
outbreak of smallpox.
The government acknowledged the
need for a larger isolation hospital,
and very quickly, a small quarantine
hospital was erected on some unused
land, now the site of the Rehabilitation
Hospital.
“The Shenton Park Campus was the site
of Perth’s first purpose-built hospital for
the treatment of infectious diseases, and
has been in use since 1894,” said Royal
Perth Hospital’s Acting Executive Director
Alex Smith.
Patients were initially treated in military
tents, which were gradually replaced
with more permanent buildings on the
site. Most of the current buildings were
constructed in the 1930s.
Alex explained the site’s change of
purpose in the mid-20th century:
“The 1948 to 1956 polio epidemic in
Perth was the catalyst for the hospital
changing its focus from infectious
diseases to rehabilitation.”
The Shenton Park Campus played
a key role in the care of paraplegic
and quadriplegic patients, and in
the pioneering work of Sir George
Bedbrook, internationally recognised
for his contribution to sport for people
with disability. As a result of his work at
Shenton Park, the first Commonwealth
Paraplegic Games was held in Perth in
1962.
In 1963, Shenton Park Rehabilitation
Hospital famously became home to
Australia’s first paraplegic unit.
Rehabilitation services at Shenton Park
will soon be transferred to the new
Fiona Stanley Hospital in Murdoch.
The heritage listing of Shenton Park
Rehabilitation Hospital includes trees
that were planted as part of the 1930s
upgrade of the campus - a healthy
avenue of Queensland Box Trees
framing the main driveway up to the
central administration building, which
are protected as part of the listing.
Including key buildings of the facility in
the State Register of Heritage Places
will ensure that the history of the site
will be carefully managed in any future
redevelopment.
SHENTON PARK REHABILITATION HOSPITAL
11 March 2014
As a result of Bedbrook’s work at Shenton
Park, the first Commonwealth Paraplegic
Games was held in Perth in 1962.
HERITAGE MATTERS | New Registrations 27
Metropolitan
Living in history
“Every entry in the police record books used to end with
the number of miles the horse had travelled that day.”
O
ne of the challenges with
heritage places is how
to keep them alive and
relevant to contemporary needs.
“Every entry in the police record
books used to end with the number
of miles the horse had travelled that
day,” Fiona said.
So when the question, “What do you
do with a turn of the 19th century
police station, lock-up and stables?”
arose, Fiona Hadfield didn’t have to
think twice to know the answer –
“You live in it, of course!”
Claremont Police Station was
the first police station built in the
Cottesloe area and operated as a
police station from 1896 to 1956.
It illustrates the development of the
State’s police force in response to
the dramatic population growth
during the gold rush period, and the
suburbanisation of Perth.
“The place required a fair bit of
maintenance, but the opportunity
to live in a unique place was hard to
resist.”
For Fiona, the chance to live in a
one-of-a-kind house overcame
some of the building’s problems,
including oddly slanting ceilings, and
that it was a little cramped for her
family.
In fact, living in the old police station
has given Fiona a taste for its
history. She has spent hours at the
State Records Office reading early
police records for her house.
The old lock-up and stables next
door that once contained the
police horses have been converted
into another residence for Fiona’s
mother.
The work of one of Western
Australia’s greatest architects,
George Temple-Poole, it is a rare
example of a surviving two-storey
police station-cum-residence.
Claremont Police Station opened
in 1896 under the charge of
Constable Ernest Huxtable. As
early as 1902, the Daily News
noted that “The Claremont police
station is recognised as one of the
plums in the service… There were
many married constables and their
wives who sighed for the chance
of settling down in the cosy little
suburb.”
Nevertheless, by 1949 the
Claremont Municipal Council
formally requested that the Police
Station be relocated along Stirling
Highway closer to the Claremont
tram depot. A new police station
was finally built in the late 1950s
near Bay View Terrace in Claremont.
With that, the Claremont
Police Station in Cottesloe was
decommissioned and briefly used
as a Police and Citizens’ Youth
Club, before transferring to private
ownership in 1962.
From accommodation for an officer
and his horse, the Claremont Police
Station has come a long way in its
century of existence, and is today
two modern houses.
“Even though it is right next to the
highway, I still love the place. No one
else in WA has a house exactly like
this,” Fiona said.
CLAREMONT POLICE STATION, LOCK UP
AND STABLES
24 June 2014
ABOVE | Exterior view of Claremont Police Station
INSET | Interior of Claremont Police Station
converted into a residence
Metropolitan
Serbian Church of St Sava a
shining beacon
Built on the strength of one man’s passion.
T
ravelling through Highgate,
tantalising glints catch your
eye from afar – flashes which
reflect off the gleaming copper
domes that sit atop Western
Australia’s first Serbian Orthodox
Church, and the second oldest in
Australia.
Entered in the State Register of
Heritage Places, the Church of
St Sava lies beneath its copper
domes. Its impressive interior space
houses ornate artworks, finely
painted wall icons and mosaics.
The design of the Church of St
Sava, like other Orthodox Churches,
accommodates the specific
traditions of the Orthodox liturgy.
The church is orientated east to
west, to allow the congregation to
enter from the darkness of sin at
the west, into the light of trust at the
east.
Although Serbian communities have
been in Australia from as early as
the late 1800s, New South Wales
worshippers only built the country’s
first Serbian Church in 1953.
Highgate followed with its own
church the following year.
The Highgate parish of St Sava was
built on the strength of one man’s
passion - Archpriest Father Petar
Rados OAM. Archpriest Rados
travelled the length and breadth
of the State to visit his scattered
congregation at nights, weekends
and during holidays.
In the early 1950s, he took on the
additional task of raising funds to
build his flock a church. To make
ends meet, Archpriest Rados also
worked as a laboratory assistant at
Royal Perth Hospital.
Recent work has seen the entire
heritage-listed church restored to
its former glory, with much of the
funds bequeathed to the church by
a parishioner.
Recognising the heritage values of
St Sava highlights the rich cultural
traditions Serbian migrants brought
to Western Australia, and supports
the continuation of those traditions.
This year saw the Serbian
community celebrate the church’s
60th anniversary with a whole year
of celebrations and festivals.
SERBIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH OF ST SAVA
11 October 2013
28 March 2014
Metropolitan
Oh come, all ye faithful
God should be worshipped in beauty.
W
hen gold was discovered
in Western Australia in the
1890s, people flocked to
the State to seek their fortune – and
along with their hopes, dreams and
pick axes, they brought their faith.
The Anglican parish in Nedlands
was established around the turn
of the 20th century, with services
initially held in private homes and
in churches in the neighbouring
suburbs of Claremont and Subiaco.
In 1923, the Perth Diocesan Trust
built a small brick and weatherboard
church called St Mary’s on the corner
of Tyrell and Elizabeth Streets.
However, with many ex-World War I
servicemen and their families settling
in the Nedlands area with the help of
War Service Loans, the church soon
proved too small for the growing
parish. So St Mary’s was demolished
in 1936 and St Margaret’s was built
in its place. The church has provided
a place of worship for the Anglican
parish of Nedlands since 1937.
Bennett’s decorative design for St
Margaret’s was directly influenced
by the then Archbishop of Perth,
Henry Le Fanu, who believed that
God should be worshipped in beauty
and therefore in beautifully-designed
churches.
St Margaret’s displays many of the
classic elements of the Art Deco style
including bold geometric shapes,
vertical fins, and a stepped skyline.
Art Deco emerged in the 1920s
and 1930s as a response to rapid
industrialisation, and the imposing
design of these Art Deco churches
would have been a radical departure
from the more traditional style
of churches that most Western
Australians were used to at the time.
The three other Inter-War Art Deco
churches recognised through their
inclusion in the State Register of
Heritage Places are the First Church
of Christ, Scientist, Perth (1936) and
Our Lady of Montserrat, Southern
Cross (1939).
St Margaret’s Anglican Church is only
the fourth Inter-War Art Deco church
in Western Australia to be recognised
through its inclusion in the State
Pastor David Prescott said the
congregation was very pleased with
the recognition that heritage listing
bestows on St Margaret’s Church
and its parish.
The church was designed by
renowned Western Australian
architect William Bennett.
“We work very hard to make sure all
our facilities are in good order so that
parishioners and visitors enjoy the
church as a centre for worship and
as a local community space,”
he said.
ST MARGARET’S ANGLICAN CHURCH
24 January 2014
16 May 2014
LEFT | St Margaret’s Anglican Church,
Nedlands
Busselton Jetty.
W
hen Henry Yelverton
erected the first jetty at
Busselton in 1865, the
all-timber jetty, built for the total
sum of £180, was just 176 metres
long.
The prominent local timber
entrepreneur would be astounded
by the 1.8 kilometre international
tourist attraction his creation has
become.
Sand drift meant an additional 131
metres had to be added in 1875.
Further extensions made throughout
the following 90 years fashioned
Busselton Jetty into one of the
longest timber jetties in the southern
hemisphere.
The little jetty that
grew and grew
South West
A social and recreational playground for
Western Australians for more than a century
Refurbished using a combination of
timber, steel and concrete, Busselton
Jetty is now home to the famous
Underwater Observatory, Interpretive
Centre and Jetty Train, attracting
more than 400,000 visitors every year
to learn about its history and unique
marine ecosystem.
Busselton Jetty has been a social and
recreational playground for Western
Australians for more than a century.
Around 1910, a pavilion was built on
the jetty near the shore and used for
bands, concerts and other activities.
Sea baths were also constructed in a
designated area off the jetty.
The jetty also played a crucial role
in the commercial and agricultural
development of the region. It originally
serviced ships carrying timber and
livestock, and until a railway was built,
goods were transported along the jetty
using horse-drawn wagons.
During the jetty’s 149-year history, it
had been battered by a destructive
cyclone and devastating fire, and
was twice earmarked for demolition
following the closure of the port in
1972.
Busselton Jetty stands as an excellent
example of collaboration between
State and local government, and the
Busselton Jetty Environment and
Conservation Association, which
has worked tirelessly for nearly three
decades to conserve the jetty and
make it economically sustainable.
With the jetty’s permanent entry in
the State Register of Heritage Places,
the cultural, social and economic
importance of this Busselton landmark
has been recognised.
On both occasions the community
banded together to save the jetty,
clearly demonstrating its strong
attachment to the place.
A $27 million restoration, jointly funded
by the State Government and the City
of Busselton, began in 2009 and saw
nearly 50 per cent of the jetty structure
replaced.
The City of Busselton is already
starting to plan community
celebrations to mark the jetty’s 150th
anniversary in 2015 to acknowledge its
local and State significance.
BUSSELTON JETTY
30 June 2009
22 November 2013
JARDEE SCHOOL (FMR)
13 August 2013
3 December 2013
South West
History lessons
The ‘little’ or ‘one teacher’ schools, once dotted around the State,
were built in sparsely populated areas.
S
tudents inspired by their
teachers can accomplish
amazing things. Children
attending Jardee School, near
Manjimup, certainly knew this.
Visitors to the school in the 1920s
saw a maze of garden beds: square,
circular, oblong, and star-shaped.
The playground was described as a
wealth of beauty.
The lone teacher, John Ulbrich, had
a passion for gardening and inspired
pupils with his enthusiasm. Few
schools in Western Australia could
claim they planted 200 trees in a
single year, as Jardee did in 1927.
The trees those pupils planted can
still be seen today around the tiny
school built a century ago for a
timber mill community.
Jardee School is one of only a few
remaining ‘little schools’. These were
simply a small schoolhouse with
quarters for the sole teacher, and a
shelter shed.
The ‘little’ or ‘one teacher schools’,
once dotted around the State, were
built in sparsely populated areas in
the early 20th century to cater for
small groups of children.
Jardee School started life in 1912
in a weatherboard cottage provided
by the mill. The Government built a
schoolhouse suitable for 36 children
the following year.
The little school educated local
children for 60 years. But by 1972,
BACKGROUND | Jardee front verandah
INSET | Interior of Jardee classroom with
original fireplace and blackboards
Into the lion’s den
One of only a few surviving Premier’s residences.
T
he name Throssell is bound
up with the early history of
Northam.
After George Throssell settled
there, he became the town’s first
mayor, and represented Northam in
Parliament. Affectionately known as
the ‘Lion of Northam’, he was also
briefly Premier of Western Australia.
Throssell’s Northam residence,
Fermoy House, is one of only a few
surviving Premier’s residences, and
has now been included in the State
Built in 1897, Fermoy House
also shows Northam’s growing
importance at the time, following
the arrival of the railway in 1886,
and another line to the Goldfields
the following year. Local businesses
sprung up and Northam quickly
established itself as a regional centre,
as thousands travelled through the
town on their way to the Goldfields.
“Fermoy House is also the birthplace
of George’s son, Hugo,” said
Northam’s Senior Community
Development Officer Annique Gray.
“He was awarded the Victoria
Cross at Hill 60 during the Gallipoli
Campaign.”
After 1913, Fermoy House became
a private hospital. It was sold to the
Marist Brothers in 1947, who added
the building to their school. Today,
Fermoy House continues to be part
of St Joseph’s School, housing
offices, a staff room and the library.
“It has had a diverse history, having
been the venue for large receptions,
balls, garden parties, a private
hospital and a school since 1948.
The preservation of this building is
an important part of Northam’s rich
heritage,” Annique said.
FERMOY HOUSE (FMR)
24 June 2014
only 15 children remained, and it
was closed that December.
Since then, the building has
been used for various community
purposes, including a playgroup and
as a centre for the Manjimup Art
Society.
Many little schools have been
dismantled or relocated, and only
a few remain. Jardee joins a select
number of such places entered in the
State Register, including Brooklyn
School, Carmel Primary School and
Old Vasse Primary School.
ABOVE | Fermoy House, Northam
Wheatbelt
A distinctive building, Fermoy House
is notable for its complex roofline,
tall decorative chimneys, projecting
bays, and tuck-pointed brickwork.
It is a substantial and well-designed
Federation Queen Anne homestead,
and luckily much of the external and
internal details remain intact.
The ‘Lion’ was described as having
‘luxuriant silver hair’ and a ‘habit of
placing a hand on your shoulder
when speaking’ to hold your
attention. Succeeding John Forrest
as Premier in February 1901, his
government was short-lived. At the
April election, many of his followers
lost their seats and he was forced to
return to the back benches.
Dig uncovers our convict past
“Without convict labour, who will build our roads?”
I
n 1871, residents of Newcastle,
as Toodyay was then known,
pleaded with Governor Frederick
Weld not to close their convict
depot. “Without convict labour,
who will build our roads?”
Although the Governor said he
would consider their request, it was
clear he had already made up his
mind. The convict depot at Toodyay
closed the following year, and the
site was gradually built over by
other buildings, including a Court
House.
Wheatbelt
More than 140 years later, thanks to
the efforts of University of Western
Australia archaeologists, it is once
again possible to get an insight
into the lives of convicts and their
guards. The significance of the
extensive ruins they discovered has
been acknowledged by the place’s
inclusion in the State Register of
Heritage places.
Western Australia’s convict era
began in 1850 when thousands
of prisoners and their overseers
arrived in the Swan River Colony.
This provided a substantial and
critical boost to the population.
Opening in 1852, hundreds of
paroled prisoners, called ticketof-leave men, passed through
Newcastle Convict Depot. It
was an administrative centre for
hiring ticket-of-leave men to local
landowners and sorting out parties
for essential public works.
Excavating six trenches, UWA
students discovered the intact
foundations of the convict barracks,
hospital, kitchen, warders’ quarters,
commissariat store and privy, as
well as objects used by the convicts
and guards.
The former Court House was
eventually built on top of the convict
depot, and today houses the Shire
of Toodyay’s offices.
“The old Court House site and the
surrounding precinct echo a very
significant element of Toodyay’s
history and heritage.
Shire President David Dow is very
much aware of the importance
of convict history for present-day
Toodyay. “Our annual Moondyne
Festival interprets some of our
history by referencing the exploits
of a ticket-of-leave convict who
became known as Moondyne Joe,”
he said.
”Further archaeological digs at
Toodyay could reveal stories not
available from any other convict site
in Australia. Also, with innovative
interpretation, the old depot could
be a significant tourist attraction,
telling the story of Toodyay and
Western Australia.”
TOODYAY COURT HOUSE (FMR) AND FORMER
CONVICT DEPOT ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITES
17 June 2014
ABOVE | The old Toodyay Court House and
the excavation at the former convict depot
Not just for girls
… while the words GIRLS SCHOOL survive, the words BOYS SCHOOL do not.
T
here is something of a
mystery about one of the
oldest surviving schools in
Western Australia.
Northam residents know Northam
State School as the ‘Old Girls’
School’. Yet it has always catered
for both boys and girls. So how did
it acquire its local name?
prior to the construction of
purpose-built school buildings,
classes were held in small
temporary buildings that were later
demolished.
Not only did this result in thousands
travelling through Northam on their
way to the Goldfields, but the town
itself was transformed. Many new
businesses were established and
the population grew rapidly.
The growth of Northam over this
period meant an increase in the
number of school-aged children
living in the town needing an
education.
Does the fact that only one plaque
survives explain the local name?
Possibly. But it is also thought that
the long-term use of the historic
building for domestic science
played a role too.
Compulsory education for all
children aged between six and
fourteen started in 1871, and
Northam State School was a clear
response to the need to provide an
education for every child.
During the late 19th century,
Northam underwent dramatic
growth. In 1886, the Fremantle to
Guildford railway line was extended
It is one of the earliest State school
buildings still in existence in WA
today. Few of these very early
State schools remain because,
Designed by the colonial architect
Richard Roach Jewell in the
Victorian Tudor style, the school
was built by local resident and
future Premier, George Throssell.
“The landmark school building
forms part of the historic Wellington
Street precinct, contributing to
the streetscape and character of
Northam,” said Northam Senior
Planning Officer Bronwyn Southee.
Wheatbelt
Built in 1878, the school comprised
two large classrooms, one for
girls and the other for boys, with a
central washroom to the rear. Each
of the classrooms had a rendered
plaque on the end, and while the
words GIRLS SCHOOL survive, the
words BOYS SCHOOL do not.
to Northam, and following the
discovery of gold in Western
Australian in the early 1890s,
Northam became the terminus
of the rail line to the Eastern
Goldfields.
Today, the State school has been
transformed into a community
arts centre. Bronwyn said that the
school has “historic and social
significance as an important
educational institution in the
Northam district, and to this day
is still being used for educational
purposes.”
NORTHAM STATE SCHOOL (FMR)
24 June 2014
A fire station like no other
One of the last architecturally-designed fire stations in WA.
A
Wheatbelt
fter a particularly
devastating fire in 1898, the
Northam Advertiser called
upon the town’s “public spirited
young men” to form a volunteer fire
brigade. Residents responded to
the plea and the brigade started in
October that year, one of the first in
the State.
The WA Fire Brigades Board
called on their official architect,
Jack Ochiltree, to design the new
building. Ochiltree designed the
original fire stations at Bunbury,
Claremont, Kellerberrin, Leederville
and Collie, as well as additions to
the historic fire station in Murray
Street, Perth.
The brigade initially operated from a
shed in Fitzgerald Street, and fought
blazes by dropping fire hoses into
nearby wells and pumping the
water manually.
Opening in 1929, Northam Fire
Station No. 2 was one of the last
architecturally-designed stations in
WA before the launch of a standard
fire station plan in the 1930s.
Later, the brigade acquired its
first equipment, consisting of
a Maryweather fire engine and
a horse borrowed from the
council’s rubbish cart when it
was free. However, due to the
limited availability of the horse, the
volunteer firemen often ended up
pulling the engine themselves.
With its distinctive two-storey
central appliance room, flanked on
either side by single-storey wings,
Northam Fire Station No. 2 is a
one-off in Western Australia. The
building harks from an era when fire
stations were individually designed
to meet the needs of each brigade.
The Northam Brigade’s first building
was erected in 1903 on the corner
of Gordon and Duke Streets and, in
1910, acquired its first permanent
Station Officer, Jim Caddy.
Caddy, a former volunteer fireman,
had been trained in Perth and
brought back a new fire engine and
a white horse named Jack. The rest
of the brigade remained volunteers,
who were only paid when they
attended a fire.
In addition to an appliance room,
which housed the fire engine,
Fire Station No. 2 also included
an attached residence for the
station’s permanent Fire Officer
and overnight accommodation for
volunteers.
By the late 1920s, the increased
population of Northam meant that
a new fire station was needed.
RIGHT | Northam Fire Station
“The conservation of this unique
building is important to preserve
the community’s history and affinity
with volunteer fire brigades,” said
Northam’s Senior Community
Development Officer Annique Gray.
“The Old Fire Station contributes
to the heritage ambience of the
townscape and to the sense
of place of the local and wider
community.”
When a new fire station was
constructed in 1991, Northam Fire
Station No. 2 continued to serve the
local community through its use by
the Avon Descent Association, as
a toy library and by the local Men’s
Shed group.
“The Northam community takes
pride in its heritage buildings and
the continued use of this building
allows us to retain a connection to
our heritage,” she said.
NORTHAM FIRE STATION NO.2 AND QUARTERS (FMR)
18 November 2008
24 June 2014
Fire proofed
The stone and brick building clearly
demonstrates the spirit of optimism and confidence in the Goldfields.
W
With the gold rush in full swing,
there was a need for a more
permanent and impressive building.
Naturally, the bank turned to one
of the best architects of the time,
Joseph John Talbot Hobbs. Talbot
Hobbs was not only a brilliant
designer - he was also a military
man who later served at Gallipoli
and France and rose to the rank of
Lieutenant General.
Establishing his architectural firm in
1887, Talbot Hobbs designed many
well-known public buildings in Perth
and Fremantle, including the Weld
Club, the Savoy Hotel and Perth
Masonic Lodge.
Built in 1900, the two-storey stone
and brick Western Australian Bank
building clearly demonstrates the
spirit of optimism and confidence in
the Goldfields.
Talbot Hobbs used his skills to adapt
classical design principles to make
a building suitable for Kalgoorlie’s
hot, dry climate. Deep verandahs,
dust-proof ventilators, and window
gearing all made the bank a pleasant
place to work.
The former Western Australian
Bank building was later owned by
the Western Australian Mint and
subsequently the Department of
Housing. Since 2003, it has been
occupied by the Department of
Sport and Recreation.
The building is also a rare example
of Talbot Hobbs’ approach to interior
design. It retains much of its original
and ornate interior detailing, including
coffered and pressed metal ceilings
with richly decorated cornices.
As Manager of Planning and
Design, the Department of
Housing’s David McLoughlin knows
that owning a century-old heritage
building provides both opportunities
and challenges.
The building is also representative
of the once common practice
of constructing banks with an
integrated manager’s residence.
When Richard Wells was appointed
the first Manager-Cashier of the
bank, he also functioned as a de
facto nightwatchman, and was
forbidden to leave the bank premises
at night without the permission of
the Board.
“Hannan Street’s iconic buildings
have a special character, which
are an irreplaceable part of our
State’s history,” David said. “The
challenge here is to preserve Talbot
Hobbs’ exceptional building, while
still having it serve a contemporary
purpose.”
The Western Australian Bank was
the first banking institution to be
established in Kalgoorlie. The bank
amalgamated with the Bank of New
South Wales in 1927, which today
operates as Westpac Bank Australia.
Goldfields
hen a terrifying fire swept
through Kalgoorlie in
1896, the Western
Australian Bank only just escaped
destruction. The bank’s board
suddenly realised its timber and
iron building might not be so lucky
next time.
WESTERN AUSTRALIAN BANK (FMR)
8 April 2014
ABOVE AND INSET | The Western Australian
Bank, Kalgoorlie
Bossy Bessie ruled
Mid West
TIBRADDEN HOMESTEAD GROUP
11 October 2013
24 January 2014
the roost
LEFT | Flour mill with stables and
cart shed at Tibradden Homestead,
Geraldton
INSET | View along front verandah
“It’s a home where people had good times.
It was a social place - people liked to be there.”
E
lizabeth Susan Percy (nee
Davis), of Geraldton’s
Tibradden Station, must
have been a fearsome woman.
Sometimes, when her descendants
speak of her, they call her ‘Bossy
Bessie’. But only in whispers.
More than 80 years after her death,
the Mid West matriarch - reputedly
the first white child born in the
Champion Bay district in the Mid
West - still inspires fear.
A descendent, Jenny Collins, tells the
story of a young relative in the 1920s,
who arrived at Tibradden on a horsedrawn spring cart. Bossy Bessie lost
no time putting the young man in his
place. Travelling by cart was a luxury
well beyond his station. “We do not
behave like that at Tibradden, young
man.”
One of the earliest pastoral
settlements in the Mid West,
Tibradden’s history has now been
celebrated with its entry in the State
Register of Heritage Places. It was
established in the 1850s by Jenny’s
great-great-grandparents, who
were among the first pioneers in the
district.
But perhaps one had to have a will of
iron to settle on a remote station back
then. And to be fair, after her death,
Bessie was also remembered as a
charming hostess.
Governor James Stirling was initially
reluctant to expand the Swan River
Colony so far north as it would
cost the Government more in
administration and infrastructure.
However, the Government eventually
bowed to pressure from pastoralists
for more land for settlement,
cultivation and grazing, and people
like the Davis family were permitted to
occupy land in the Mid West.
Tibradden Homestead has always
taken centre stage in the stories told
by Jenny Collins’ family. A descendant
of the original owners, John and
Sarah Davis, Jenny also married into
a family who subsequently owned the
famous pastoral station.
“I love the place because of all the
happy memories which have been
handed down. It’s a home where
people had good times. It was a
social place - people liked to be
there,” Jenny said.
Mid West
For Jenny, the homestead is a
physical reminder that everyone’s
life has a context. And when Jenny
speaks of her strong connection
to Tibradden, her enthusiasm is
apparent.
The region had fertile land, and
quickly became known as the
‘breadbasket’ of the State for
its abundant and quality wheat
production. One of only four of the
State’s remaining historic windpowered flour mills is still at Tibradden
Homestead.
Tibradden Homestead serves as a
reminder of why the Mid West was
so crucial to the growth of Western
Australia.
A pen within a prison
Significance touches on both the positive and the dark aspects of our past.
S
ome places invoke painful
memories, but are still part
of our State’s story, and
their conservation allows future
generations to remember all facets
of our cultural heritage.
It is one of only two such prison
facilities of similar design dating
from the early 1900s in WA,
constructed specifically to hold
Aboriginal prisoners. The other is
the old Derby gaol.
The Bull Pen Shelter Shed in
Broome Regional Prison was
built as a secure holding area for
Aboriginal prisoners during the
day, so they spent less time in their
cells. Measuring just 14m x 10m
this structure, in the middle of the
prison, was essentially just a cage
with a roof.
The origins of the term ‘Bull Pen’
are unclear and it is not known
when the term came into common
use. Historical plans refer to it as
the Shelter Shed, Native Cell (1931),
Native Pen (1951) and Existing
Collective Confinement (1969).
The Bull Pen is the only structure
remaining from the 1894-1907
establishment of Broome Prison,
and is likely to contain rare
archaeological material relating
to the early days of the prison. It
represents the continuous use of the
site for the incarceration of prisoners
in the North West since 1894.
‘Bull Pen’ probably developed as
a colloquial term, perhaps due to
its open design and function as a
cell largely for Aboriginal men who,
in this early historical period, were
sometimes viewed as aggressive
and volatile.
However, this dismal structure was
also built to take into account the
climate, the understanding that
Aboriginal prisoners coped better
with incarceration when contained
with their kinsmen, and the security
needs of the prison.
Damien Stewart, from the
Department of Corrective Services,
says he is pleased his department
is able to help save a rare and
important part of Broome’s heritage.
“The preservation of the structure
illustrates how significantly prison
accommodation has changed
across the State from the late
1800s to today, particularly in the
North West region,” Damien said.
The Bull Pen is today used as a
gym for prisoners. Broome Prison
is gradually being scaled down as
the facility nears closure. However,
the heritage listing of the Bull Pen
secures its future and ensures
planning for the site must take into
account this century-old holding
pen.
BULL PEN SHELTER SHED AND ARCHAEOLOGICAL
DEPOSITS
6 September 2013
24 January 2014
BELOW | The Bull Pen, Broome Regional Prison
North Coast
BACKGROUND AND INSET |
Roebourne Hospital
A tribute to
Temple-Poole
… isolation, ventilation, supervision and sunlight
R
oebourne is one of the
oldest towns in the State’s
North West. Although its
name honours Western Australia’s
first Surveyor-General, John
Septimus Roe, Roebourne is more
about the town that Temple-Poole
built.
George Temple-Poole was an
architect, a civil engineer, a
mechanical engineer, and WA’s
Superintendent of Public Works
between 1885 and 1897.
Temple-Poole’s first major
focus upon his appointment as
Superintendent was in Roebourne,
where his influence is apparent in
the police, gaol and courthouse
precinct.
The boom in Roebourne’s pearling
industry in the late 1860s to early
1870s saw a significant increase
in the local population which, in
turn, created a need for appropriate
medical facilities to be available.
The Roebourne Hospital building
was completed in 1887. The laying
of the last stone of the hospital
coincided with the opening of the
Cossack to Roebourne tramway
and the laying of the foundation
stone for the Post and Telegraph
Offices.
Temple-Poole’s ‘Bungalow Hospital’ in
Roebourne was designed with climatic
conditions in mind and swiftly adopted
at other North West hospitals.
Based on the healthcare principles
of isolation, ventilation, supervision
and sunlight, Bungalow Hospitals
are defined by the separation of
functions, and the linking of these
areas through covered walkways
which provided ventilation and
ample shade from the sun or rain.
Roebourne Hospital was one of the
earliest places to be entered in the
State Register after the Heritage
of Western Australia Act 1990 was
introduced. Its permanent listing
almost 22 years later reaffirms its
significance to the State of WA.
Roebourne Hospital continues to
operate today and the buildings
help support medical care to the
local community.
North Coast
Sixty-four of Temple-Poole’s
buildings are entered in the State
Register of Heritage Places, with 15
in Roebourne alone. His distinctive
government architecture still
dominates the townscape, giving it
a unique identity.
The Roebourne Hospital Group is
rare as only the second purposebuilt public hospital in the State,
after the Colonial Hospital at Royal
Perth, and is the earliest hospital to
be constructed in the North West
region. The hospital served the
whole North West of the colony
from its establishment in 1874 until
the 1890s when other hospitals
were built at Derby, Marble Bar and
Onslow.
ROEBOURNE HOSPITAL GROUP
16 October 1992
30 June 2014
HERITAGE GRANTS
ASSISTING PRIVATE OWNERS
FAMILY PASSION
CONTINUES TO BRING A
UNIQUE EXPERIENCE TO
CINEMA-GOERS
The Cygnet Cinema in Como was a successful grant recipient in the 2013-14
Heritage Grants Program. It received a heritage grant of $100,000 to upgrade
the electrical wiring and fire prevention system, which allowed the owners, the
Stiles family, to continue their efforts on migrating to digital technology.
T
he Stiles’ father, James Stiles,
was a cinema pioneer who
established the Grand Theatre
Company and commissioned
the construction of a number of
cinemas, including the Cygnet.
Originally named the Como Theatre,
the Cygnet was the first purposebuilt sound cinema in the suburbs
immediately south of the city.
Built in 1938 by cinema architect
William Leighton in the Inter-War
functionalist style, it is the most
authentic suburban cinema still in
operation from this era.
Leighton’s contribution to cinema
design was revolutionary, with
a focus on designing functional
contemporary buildings that often
included symbols of the 20th
century machine age such as cars
and ships.
The Cygnet incorporates nautical
features including the curved tower,
tubular handrails and port-hole
windows that represent an ocean
liner’s bow.
The Cygnet has been drawing
cinema goers for the past 75 years,
and its survival through the advent
of television and suburban multiplex
cinemas is testament to the passion
and commitment of the Stiles family.
ABOVE AND INSET RIGHT | Interior of Cygnet Theatre, Como. Photographer Darren Smith, Acorn Photography
INSET TOP | Cygnet Theatre, Como. Photographer Geoff Bickford, Dessein
24
PLACES TO BENEFIT FROM
HERITAGE GRANTS
The 2013-14 Heritage Grants
Program saw $1.26 million in
heritage grants shared between
13 metropolitan and 11 regional
projects, delivering more than
$10 million in conservation works
to State heritage-listed properties
across Western Australia.
T
he Heritage Grants Program assists
private owners of State Registered places
to undertake urgent conservation works
or develop Conservation Management Plans. It
allows for grants of up to $100,000 through the
competitive application process. Owners are
required to match funds to the projects.
The Government values the contribution that private
owners make to conserving State Registered
places and is committed to providing advice and
support to promote the long-term viability of our
State’s heritage.
Since 1997, 647 projects have been awarded
grants totalling more than $14.5 million through the
program administered by the Heritage Council and
State Heritage Office.
For more information on the Heritage Grants
Program, contact the State Heritage Office or
visit stateheritage.wa.gov.au
LONDON COURT, PERTH
FREMANTLE POST OFFICE
London Court, Perth’s distinctive old Tudor style
shopping arcade, received $100,000 to undertake
extensive conservation work to decorative elements,
tiling and windows along the interior arcade façade
which face north east.
Built in 1907, the three-storey Fremantle Post Office, both
by its size and location, demonstrates the importance of
postal and telegraph services in Fremantle in the early
1900s.
Built in 1937, London Court is a rare example of an
open air city arcade. With its richly detailed façade and
distinctive clocks on either ends of the arcade, it is an
important tourist attraction and has provided a unique
shopping experience for Western Australians and
tourists for more than 75 years.
Fremantle was the first town to have an official ‘post
office’ in Western Australia, and the grand building in
Market Street marks the ‘gateway’ to the West End
Conservation Area.
The 106-year-old post office received the maximum
grant of $100,000 to re-roof the building and reinstate
original materials and features including missing finials
and sections of the segmented arches.
ABOVE | London Court, Perth. Photographer Geoff Bickford, Dessein
INSET | Fremantle Post Office
Metropolitan places
MACAULAY HOUSE, COTTESLOE
Macaulay House, one of Cottesloe’s earliest residences, was built for
Dr Samuel Macaulay, a prominent ear, nose and throat surgeon who was the
Honorary Surgeon to the Deaf and Dumb Institution of WA and a foundation
member of the Perth YMCA.
Constructed in 1898, the grand two-storey Macaulay House was built
at a time when Cottesloe was transitioning from a holiday location to a
prestigious suburb that attracted some of the State’s most prominent
citizens as permanent residents.
The $15,000 grant will help the owners reconstruct the pitched ‘witch’s hat’
that once adorned the roof above the bay portion of the verandah, thus
restoring the home’s exterior to its original splendour.
MODEL BRICK HOME, FLOREAT
Designed by architect Howard Bonner, the 1934 Model Brick Home was one
of two winning entries in a competition to design an ideal modern home that
could be built at a modest cost and, in fact, was built using donated material
and labour.
The competition was run by the Model Homes Committee to promote and
stimulate employment in the home building industry during the Depression.
The Model Brick Home was one of the first two homes built in Floreat Park
No.1 Estate, which was one of the first residential suburbs designed on the
principles of a Garden Suburb.
This was part of a movement towards planning for communities and
neighbourhoods with an emphasis on public amenities and open space.
The Model Brick Home, situated on The Boulevard, received $19,000 to
help with repairs to joinery and rendering.
OLD TREASURY BUILDINGS, PERTH
The Old Treasury Buildings site is one of the most significant in Western
Australia and has a rich civic history which spans more than 135 years.
Formerly known as Central Government Offices, the site is bordered by
Barrack Street, St Georges Terrace, Cathedral Avenue and Hay Street with
the Perth Town Hall to the north.
The disused Postal Hall in the Old Treasury Buildings on St Georges Terrace
received funding under the Heritage Grants Program in 2012-13 to repair the
defective roof and gutters. The defective roof had allowed water to penetrate
through the ceiling causing damage to the original plasterwork below. With
the re-roofing now complete, the $100,000 grant this year will help restore
the damaged plasterwork.
After having lain vacant for more than 17 years, the Old Treasury Buildings
are being developed into a mix of hotel, hospitality and retail, ready for use
by 2015.
PARKER & PARKER BUILDING, PERTH
This 1905 building demonstrates the commercial expansion of central Perth,
in particular the legal district, during the gold boom in Western Australia.
The Parker & Parker Building housed the prestigious legal firm Parker and
Parker from 1905 to 1964.
The building strongly contributes to an increasingly rare example of turn of
the 20th century urban character of central Perth.
ABOVE | Macaulay House, Cottesloe; Model Brick
Home, Floreat; Old Treasury Buildings, Perth; and
Parker & Parker Building, Perth
A grant of $4,750 will allow for a Conservation Management Plan to be
developed for the building, to identify its heritage significance and provide
clear guidance for its sustainable future.
SCOTS PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, FREMANTLE
The 1890 Scots Presbyterian Church, the first Presbyterian Church in
Fremantle, received $63,700 to complete the restoration of its belltower.
The congregation has been restoring the landmark church, on the
corner of South Terrace and Parry Street, for the past 15 years,
assisted by two previous heritage grants.
This final heritage grant provided a much needed funding boost
to allow the congregation to see the project completed, with
restoration of the brickwork, mouldings, sills and louvres of the
church’s belfry.
The congregation is significant as one of only six in Western
Australia that declined amalgamation with the Uniting Church. As a
result, the place remains one of six Presbyterian churches in WA.
SWANBOURNE HOSPITAL
A grant of $10,872 has gone towards the removal of graffiti from
Swanbourne Hospital buildings as part of the redevelopment of the
site into an aged care facility.
Swanbourne Hospital was the largest State institution for the care of
the mentally ill from 1904 until its closure in the 1980s. Together with
Fremantle Asylum, it makes up the essential history of mental health
buildings in this State for nearly 100 years.
Unfortunately, the site’s grand buildings have been heavily vandalised in
the three decades it has sat empty. Part of this large scale conservation
and adaptation project involves carefully removing graffiti from the brick
and stonework, both internally and externally.
This grant will go a long way towards helping the owners start the
redevelopment of the remaining core buildings of Swanbourne
Hospital and adapting the buildings for contemporary use.
RIGHT | Scots Presbyterian Church, Fremantle; and Swanbourne Hospital
BELOW | Septimus Burt Boatshed, Peppermint Grove. Photographer
Geoff Bickford, Dessein
SEPTIMUS BURT BOATSHED, PEPPERMINT GROVE
The Septimus Burt Boatshed on Freshwater Bay, Peppermint Grove received $100,000 to help stabilise and restore the
1905 structure. This boatshed is part of the only surviving cluster of privately-owned boatsheds on the Swan River.
The Septimus Burt Boatshed was built for Western Australia’s first Chief Justice Septimus Burt, and was the first of the
three Freshwater Bay boatsheds to be constructed. Last year, the owners of the Augustus Roe and Talbot Hobbs Boatshed
received a similar grant to restore their boatshed.
The heritage grant allows for the boatshed to be re-piled, helping ensure these fragile, picturesque boatsheds, which are still
used today to moor boats, continue to be enjoyed for generations to come.
THE WELD CLUB, PERTH
The historic Weld Club in Perth is
a distinctive two-storey Federation
Queen Anne style brick and timber
building with a prominent tower
belvedere.
Housing what is broadly recognised
as one of Western Australia’s leading
private gentlemen’s clubs, the
Weld Club had close associations
with political and social power in
the Colony before representative
government.
22–26 PAKENHAM STREET,
FREMANTLE
The 1907 warehouse at 22-26
Pakenham Street, in the heart
of the West End Conservation
Area, is a brick and corrugated
iron warehouse building in the
Federation style.
It is an unusually intact example of
a 1900s warehouse, designed for
storage and handling of commercial
goods.
A $100,000 grant will enable the
installation of fire detection and
sprinkler systems to minimise the
risk of damage caused by fire.
The warehouse was used as a wool
store from 1918 to 1930, and then
again from 1956 to 1974, reflecting
the boom and bust cycle of the
wool industry.
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT | The Weld
Club, Perth; 22-26 Pakenham Street,
Fremantle; and Tudor Lodge, Mt Lawley
The warehouse received $70,802
to help in the restoration of
windows and joinery, critical to its
contemporary use as artists studios
and exhibition space.
TUDOR LODGE, MT LAWLEY
Tudor Lodge was the first
Department of Child Welfare hostel
that provided care for children in a
more ‘home-like’ atmosphere, and
served as a model for future child
hostels in the State.
It is particularly valued by those in
the wider community who were
housed at the hostel in their youth,
during the post-World War II period,
in particular, working boys of local
and migrant origins.
Now a private residence, the 1922
Mt Lawley building received nearly
$30,000 for conservation works to
the brickwork and verandah.
Regional places
BELAY FARM, WALKAWAY
Belay Farm, Walkaway received a
grant of $8,500 for re-roofing, and
for repair to joinery and the cracked
walls of the 1882 two-storey stone
mill.
The farm is associated with the
settlement of the Greenough district
and remains one of the few early
farm complexes where most of the
buildings are still intact and in use
today.
Built in 1858 by former stonemason
John Jones, it was farmed by three
generations of his family. In 1971,
Belay Farm was acquired by current
owners Robert and Norma Martin,
who have spent considerable time
and resources to ensure that this
significant pioneering property
continues to thrive and be a vital
part of WA’s Mid West heritage.
BOND STORE AND RESIDENT
MAGISTRATE’S OFFICE (FMR),
BUSSELTON
DISTRICT MEDICAL OFFICER’S
QUARTERS (FMR), PORT
HEDLAND
Busselton’s earliest surviving
civic building, the 158-year-old
former bond store and Resident
Magistrate’s Office, will receive
nearly $11,000 for re-roofing and
restoration of the wooden door and
window frames.
The 1907 District Medical Officer’s
Quarters is Port Hedland’s only
surviving pre-World War I public
building.
The former bond store and Resident
Magistrate’s Office is intriguingly also
known as The Gulch, which is an
old slang term for a drunkard. This
is possibly because the bond store
was built in an attempt to control
chronic problems of smuggling and
drunkenness in the area, resulting
from the presence of foreign whaling
ships in Geographe Bay.
It remains an unusual example of
a customs facility constructed in a
settlement that did not have a port
at the time.
The Gulch is today situated in the
backyard of a private weatherboard
and cement home, built in between
the war years.
The Federation bungalow was
originally designed for the Resident
Magistrate and Clerk of Courts,
who was also the District Medical
Officer. It continued to be used
as the District Medical Officer’s
Quarters until 1965, then as nurses
and hospital staff accommodation.
The former District Medical Officer’s
Quarters has received a grant of
$100,000 to replace the roof, repair
joinery and restore flooring.
This funding will allow critical work
to be undertaken as part of an
extensive conservation project by its
new owners to adapt it into a café.
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT | Belay
Farm, Walkaway; Bond store and Resident
Magistrate’s Office (fmr), Busselton; and
District Medical Officer’s Quarters (fmr),
Port Hedland
NORSEMAN POST OFFICE
The Norseman Post Office was an integral part of a network of telegraph stations that operated between 1897
and 1927, linking Western Australia with the eastern states. It was constructed as a repeater station to carry the
increased telegraph traffic generated by the gold boom.
Designed by leading public works architect George Temple Poole and built in 1897, the Norseman Post Office
continues to provide a vital service to its local community.
The Norseman Post Office received a grant of $20,000 for a Conservation Management Strategy to help the
new owners identify and prioritise conservation works that need to be done to ensure the ongoing survival of this
significant building.
The building is part of the Stirling
Terrace Precinct which is a fine, and
relatively intact, example of a late
19th century and early 20th century
townscape containing a diverse
range of building types and styles.
DREW ROBINSON BUILDING,
ALBANY
The former Drew Robinson & Co
building in the historic Stirling Terrace
Precinct in Albany received $68,500
to restore the building’s façade.
Built around 1890, the former Drew
Robinson & Co building is nestled
among other commercial properties
built between 1867 and 1915.
The historic precinct was an
important part of the development
of the region and the State from the
1830s until World War I. At that time,
Albany played a critical role as the
coal depot for the international mail
and passenger service, which linked
Europe to the eastern colonies.
The grant will be used to remove
the existing awning, reconstruct the
verandah to match the original, and
refurbish the first floor windows. This
work will restore the appearance of
the original façade of the building,
which will have a striking impact
on the overall Stirling Terrace
streetscape.
ABOVE | Norseman Post Office.
Photographer FA Sharr
INSET | Drew Robinson building, Albany
RIGHT | Freemasons Hotel, Bridgetown
FREEMASONS HOTEL,
BRIDGETOWN
The landmark 108-year-old
Freemasons Hotel in Bridgetown
was awarded $86,000 to help with
the re-roofing and replacement of
gutters, downpipes and flashings.
Located on the corner of Hampton
and Steere Streets, the two-storey
Freemasons Hotel illustrates the
demand for accommodation
for visitors and travellers when
fruit growing in the district was
expanding. At the same time,
the town was enjoying prosperity
brought about by the opening of the
South West Railway.
The hotel is part of one of WA’s most
important rural town streetscapes,
with a significant core of historic
buildings from the Federation and
Inter-War period.
ST CATHERINE’S ANGLICAN CHURCH, GREENOUGH
St Catherine’s Anglican Church is an integral part of the Historic Greenough Hamlet and is an excellent example of
a stone church in the Federation Gothic style. It is representative of community churches that were built throughout
Western Australia at that time.
The church also demonstrates the development of the Anglican community in Greenough. St Catherine’s received a
heritage grant of $34,000 for repairs to rendering, cracked walls and the installation of a damp course.
The conservation work will ensure the church remains a vital part of the local community for future generations, just
as it has since its construction in 1914.
VILLA CARLOTTA, BUSSELTON
YORK PRIMARY SCHOOL
The grand Queen Anne Federationstyle Villa Carlotta, or Ithaca as it
was originally known, was built in
1897 as a private home.
The former York Primary School is
an adaptive reuse success story
with the buildings now used as a
busy health hub for the people of
York and surrounding districts.
The property was acquired by the
Sisters of Our Lady of the Missions
in 1904 who converted the house
into a convent and school.
The changing use of Villa Carlotta,
from private home, to convent,
school, and holiday accommodation
reflects the social history of WA’s
South West and its evolvement
into a popular recreational region in
more recent years.
Villa Carlotta, now part of the
Busselton Bay Motel complex,
received $10,000 to undertake a
Conservation Management Strategy
that will help the owners manage
the property’s conservation into the
future.
14 KARRI RISE AND 23 KELLY
STREET PEMBERTON MILL
WORKERS’ PRECINCT
The Pemberton Timber Mill
Workers’ Cottages is a historic
precinct containing a substantial
collection of buildings, streetscapes
and laneways built between 1913
and 1951.
More than 20 people work at
the former school including GPs,
dentists, occupational therapists,
a podiatrist, psychiatrist,
audiologist, pathologist and
associated staff.
The school was designed and
built in various stages between the
1880s and 1950s, with the main
building particularly significant as
a rare example of a gallery-style
government school.
The $67,500 heritage grant will
help the owners restore the 1921
Pavilion Classroom, which suffered
severe storm damage in 2011, so it
can be used as a training room.
Grants of $23,500 and $16,000
have been provided to 14 Karri Rise
and 23 Kelly Street, respectively.
This will help the owners undertake
urgent restumping and other
conservation works to these fragile
1920s timber weatherboard-clad
cottages so that they continue to be
used and loved as family homes.
ABOVE FROM LEFT | St Catherine’s Anglican
Church, Greenough; and Villa Carlotta,
Busselton
BELOW FROM LEFT | York Primary School;
and Pemberton Timber Mill Workers’ Cottages
HERITAGE WORKS
BUILDING ON HERITAGE VALUE
Heritage Works is Australia’s first dedicated
heritage revolving fund charged with bringing
publicly-owned heritage buildings back to
active use.
L
aunched by Premier Colin
Barnett in May, the program
aims to revitalise vacant
and under-utilised State or local
government-owned heritage
properties through conservation
and adaptive reuse, and deliver
the best possible financial
returns through the sale or lease
of heritage places.
Heritage Works will prioritise State
and local government-owned
buildings that are redundant, but
have the potential to be used
productively for new uses outside
the public sector, bringing vibrant
community engagement.
New uses could include
accommodation, bars,
restaurants, art galleries, retail
and other commercial premises.
Heritage Works will be financially
self-sustaining. Proceeds from
the sale or lease of properties
will fund future projects. State
Government has allocated $4
million over the next two years
to get priority projects started,
and to seed the creation of a
‘revolving fund’.
This initiative will demonstrate
the economic, social and
environmental benefits of adaptive
reuse, and attract private
investment in heritage projects by
offering improved certainty about
constraints and opportunities,
including the condition of a place,
and options for adaptation.
Revolving funds for heritage
preservation have been
extensively employed in the
United States and the United
Kingdom since the 1970s,
bridging a gap between heritage
conservation and real estate.
While revolving funds do exist for
nature conservation in Australia,
Western Australia is the first place
where the State Government has
established a revolving fund for
heritage.
Among the services provided
by Heritage Works are feasibility
analysis; conservation planning
and works; financial support
(where required); project
management; Government
Heritage Property Disposal
Process support; marketing and
sales support.
The Heritage Works team
is already working with the
Shire of Murray on options
for revitalisation of Pinjarra’s
Exchange Hotel; Main Roads
on the Coogee Hotel and
Post Office; and has assisted
Western Power with options for
reactivation of No 2 Substation in
Murray Street, Perth.
With State Government-owned
properties comprising more than
a third of all the places in the
State Heritage Register, we can
expect to see some exciting and
worthwhile projects emerge.
50 HERITAGE MATTERS | Heritage Works
WARDERS’ COTTAGE (1851-1858), FREMANTLE
The first priority project is the Warders’ Cottages in Fremantle, closely associated with the World Heritage listed Fremantle
Prison, and an important part of the Fremantle CBD.
The Warders’ Cottages present a unique challenge to adapt these convict-built terraces for contemporary uses.
The State heritage-listed cottages were built more than 150 years ago to house prison warders employed at the Convict
Establishment, now known as Fremantle Prison.
Located in the Henderson Street mall in front of the Fremantle Markets, the cottages are a highly visible and important part
of Fremantle.
The three sets of terrace housing, occupying 3,544 square metres, continued to be used by warders up until the Prison’s
closure in 1991. The cottages were then purchased by the Department of Housing for public housing. In 2011, the
Department of Housing determined that the cottages were no longer suitable for its tenants.
Of the $4 million over two years the State Government has allocated to Heritage Works, $2 million will be dedicated to the
revitalising of the Warders’ Cottages.
BACKGROUND: | Warders’ Cottages circa 1981. Photographer FA Sharr
ABOVE L-R | Warders’ Cottages, Fremantle
HERITAGE MATTERS | Heritage Works 51
STATEHERITAGE.WA.GOV.AU
INHERIT
Search online for Heritage Places in Western Australia
INCONTACT
Find specialist heritage professional and trades services
ENEWSLETTER
Stay updated on the latest heritage news by signing up to our eNewsletter
Heritage Matters is the official magazine of the
Heritage Council and State Heritage Office
A | State Heritage Office, Bairds Building
491 Wellington Street Perth
PO Box 7479, Cloisters Square
PO WA 6850
T | (08) 6552 4000
FREECALL (REGIONAL) | 1800 524 000
F | (08) 6552 4001
E | media@stateheritage.wa.gov.au
W | stateheritage.wa.gov.au
STATE HERITAGE OFFICE
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR | Graeme Gammie
HERITAGE MATTERS EDITOR | AiLin Chen-Van Leeuwen
CONTRIBUTORS | Gay McNamara, Tony Malkovic, Eddie Marcus
DESIGN | Dessein
COVER IMAGE | Busselton Jetty.
© State Heritage Office 2014.
September 2014.

annual magazine - State Heritage Office

Transcription

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